


Intertwined

by MoonlitMidnight



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Bakery and Coffee Shop, Car Accidents, F/F, F/M, Falling In Love, Fluff and Angst, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, M/M, Mild Sexual Content, Minor Character Death, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Service Dogs, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Women in the Military
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-12
Updated: 2019-06-04
Packaged: 2019-11-16 07:48:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 25
Words: 92,378
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18090326
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MoonlitMidnight/pseuds/MoonlitMidnight
Summary: Regina Mills is a coffee shop owner trying to find her way in the world after an accident that changed her life forever. Emma Swan is a veteran, newly discharged and trying to find her footing in civilian life once again. After a chance encounter, the women meet. Will love bloom or will life and their own hang-ups get in the way?





	1. Will You Share Your Soul With Me?

**Author's Note:**

> Hi again! I'm so excited to be back. I've been trying to write the sequel to my first work--if you haven't read that yet check it out. It's pretty cool--but I've been having a really hard time with it. So I took a break and somehow managed to start this. I really like it and couldn't wait to share.The sequel is still coming I swear I just I need a short vacation from it for now lol This fic is a result of listening to way too much Dodie Clark music, specifically Sick of Losing Soulmates and Human. If you don't know who she is check her out she's amazing. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this story!

“What the hell do you mean she’s here?!”

“I _mean_ that she’s in the car right now and is probably really exhausted. So you should let us in.”

“You said a month! It's only been two weeks! I’ve barely had time to clean the place up, let alone make it livable for a rat— _not to mention a human_. What the hell Ruby?!” Regina exclaimed. She wanted to strangle the tall brunette, but she knew better. She didn’t stand a chance against the extremely seasoned fighter that was Ruby Lucas. That fact didn’t take away from her strong desire to clobber the woman upside her pretty little head though.

“I’m sorry.” Ruby’s expression screamed sincerity. “I thought she could make the whole month, but she can’t. I think the lack of stability is only adding onto the problems. So I had no choice but to bring her here. We have no room whatsoever and there's no-one else in the city she trusts enough to stay with. If you can’t let her in, I’m sure we can find a hotel on short notice.” Ruby gave her puppy eyes and even let her lip poke out just a tiny bit. Regina huffed and rolled her eyes—completely and utterly over Ruby’s antics already. On one hand, she was sympathetic. She could never truly understand the amount of pain and suffering Ruby and her friend had gone through. Not in a million years. But she couldn’t just open the apartment up and magic it clean. It was impossible.

“Don’t try to guilt trip me.” Regina scolded. “She can come in but I doubt she’ll want to stay. She might run for the hills at the sight of the place.” The last part was muttered, but Ruby heard. She beamed at Regina and gave a short but tight hug.

Ruby was surprisingly tactile. She had this way about her—this flighty, free spirited aura thing that gushed from her every pore and told the tale of a woman who’d blow into your life like a hurricane only to leave you addicted to her presence and going through serious withdrawal when she left the next week— that suggested she didn’t seem like the type of person to do something as intimate as physical affection. But, to most people’s surprise, she was almost always giving out hugs, holding hands and kissing the cheeks of her dearest friends.

Regina would never admit it to her face, but she felt honored to be among the few who got to see that side of Ruby.

Ruby ran off towards her cherry red truck. Emma sat in the passenger's seat, her face obscured by the dark black hood of her sweatshirt. Regina had been curious about the woman since Ruby had begged her to house her nearly a month ago. They’d been having their usual Friday night movie shenanigans when—after what Regina imagined to be a fortifying glass of wine—Ruby began talking about her friend Emma.

Her friend who had recently been honorably discharged from the U.S army after ten years of service because of some mysterious ailment three months ago. She’d been staying with her parents in Maine, but things weren’t working out and Ruby was worried. She knew the apartment above the coffeeshop was clear—Regina used the space mostly for storage nowadays—so she pled Emma’s case. Making sure not to reveal too much, but to reveal just enough to make Regina sympathetic and intrigued.

She couldn’t help it. It would have been hypocritical of her not to help. So she said yes. But that she needed time to fix the place up. A month was what they had agreed on. Yet, here they were, two weeks after the conversation.

Emma stepped from the car. A large military grade duffle bag clutched to her chest like her life would end if the thing so much as grazed the ground. Ruby placed a guiding hand on her back and led her gently to the entrance. Where Regina stood in awe.

She’d never seen Emma before, not even in pictures. (She probably should have considering this woman would essentially be her tenant in the next few minutes.) She was nothing like Regina expected, but so much more than Ruby described. Ruby had described a tall, buff blonde woman with guns of steel and green eyes. In essence that’s what Emma looked like, but the description had been much too simple.

Emma was stunning—once you got past the telling purple bruises under her eyes and too pale skin. She had chiseled cheekbones and legs that went on for days. Her eyes were an emerald green. Like a jewel, they shone so bright. They shone now with wariness, fear and curiosity. She didn’t look at Regina (more like to the left of her) but Regina knew that the blonde was taking stock of her. Assessing her level of threat. (which was none most days she had coffee and at least 3 hours of sleep.) 

“Emma. This is Regina. Regina. Emma.” Ruby introduced with a smile. 

Regina stuck out her hand slowly. She didn’t want to startle Emma.“It’s nice to finally put a face to the name Miss Nolan.” Emma looked up at her slowly, their eyes met for a brief moment —and recognition with a hint of fear flickered—before she looked away again. They shook hands and without another word Regina led them inside. 

(She chose to ignore the pounding in her chest and the sweat on her palms.)

The shop was Regina’s pride and joy. Had been that way for the past three years. She’d spent countless hours flipping through six shades of what appeared to the average eye to be the same color of wall paint, meticulously picking Parisian inspired furniture and decor, and investing too much money on imported coffee beans. The shop was her baby. Her sanctuary. Even after all these years and after all the heartache experienced in it, she still felt a rush of excitement every time she entered. Just as she did now, opening the french doors to the women.

They went behind the cash register/ barista station, took a left, passed the storage room and found a discreet stairwell that led straight upstairs. 

She hadn’t been kidding when she’d said the space wasn’t done. Boxes were everywhere, paint samples and broken chairs and a host of other useless shit Regina had just forgotten to get rid of littered the space. There was a queen sized iron frame and a shitty mattress off to the side. An old armchair in the corner and that was it.

Regina didn’t blame Emma for staying silent since the moment they stepped up there. She was just about to offer to drive her to a hotel when the blonde spoke.

“It’s perfect.” Her voice was gravelly from lack of use. It made Regina jump.

But then the words registered. The skin on her hipbone—where the words of her supposed soulmate were scrawled in bubbly, messy handwriting—burned a tight ache.

Regina knew them by heart now—as most women did these days. Most had been indoctrinated with that Disney Princess, Rom-Com notion of true love via soulmates. As a result, Regina had spent way too much time in her early teen years tracing the words with her fingers, reading and re-reading the sentence and trying to imagine the scenario that would summon it. Trying to imagine the person she was destined the spend the rest of her life with. As she got older though, after meeting _him_ at the age of 18, she figured fate’s link would be platonic and nothing more.

Now she wasn’t so sure.

But—The whole soulmate business could wait a second. Emma deserved to get settled in her home for the foreseeable future without having Regina shove this in her face. No need to bombard her now. (Besides, Regina needed a moment or two to think. This was beyond unexpected.)

“Excuse me?” She asked. Regina’s eyebrows furrowed. She couldn’t possibly—  
  
“I love it. Can I still stay?” Emma asked.

—Want to stay...( _What the hell?!)_

Regina sputtered. “Of course you can—I mean if—sure. I can keep cleaning things up over the next couple of—"

“— no, it’s good. I think having a project will help…Thank you.” She met Regina’s eye again, and the woman melted from the inside out. God this woman was pretty. Like angel pretty. Like, if you make eye contact with me one more time I’ll take it as a marriage proposal pretty. 

She _really_ wanted to say something about the words—Emma’s words— that had now moved from a tight ache to searing sting the longer they talked. But she didn’t know what to say. Emma had to have felt it too. There was no way she hadn’t. Yet, she’d said nothing about it. What did that mean? Was this a rejection? And if so—How was Regina supposed to feel about? Her chest was a knot of muddled emotions that were quickly becoming both confusing and overwhelming. She wasn't sure what to say and what not to say. 

Silence fell between them.The silence that was quickly turning into something too tense and awkward, was broken after a few moments by Ruby’s phone. When she looked down at the device her face went a shade paler. She cleared her throat and looked up at them.

“I’ve gotta take this. Will you guys be ok without me for a minute?”

Both women gulped and nodded.

She practically ran from the room and answered the phone in a sugary tone just as she pulled the door closed behind her. They didn’t speak for a few moments. They were both tense and unsure. Their words burned on their skin, as they were supposed to during the initial meeting of soulmates, but instead of the comforting knowledge of soon to be completeness that allegedly accompanied the pain there was nothing but uncertainty here.

Emma cleared her throat. “You said my words.” She confessed quietly. Her voice was barely above a whisper. 

“You said mine.” Regina replied just as quiet.

Emma sighed. Her posture was tense, and beads of sweat were beginning to form at her brow. “You deserve better than me…I’m in no position to give you anything other than problems. I am not equipped to deal with a relationship right now. I'm afraid that any attempts at a relationship at the moment will lead to something unhealthy."  Emma was getting tenser and tenser the more she spoke. It hurt Regina to see. So she gave into her instincts to protect and calm Emma. 

“I can get that." She assured. She kept her voice level and as calm as possible."You are fresh out of combat and I’m just…not great at the moment. So—let’s make a compromise. Platonic soulmates exist. Let's try our hand at that for a while and see if this is meant to develop beyond that?” She tried unsurely. 

The tension melted from Emma's shoulders. She released a sigh of relief. "That sounds nice." She confessed.

The grandfather clock ding-donged downstairs _. (Saved by the bell.)_

“That’s my cue.” Regina awkwardly pointed in the direction of the stairwell.

Her mouth opened before she could think any longer. “The shop opens in an hour. Graham will be here to open up soon. I should head down.” She didn’t really want to go. She wanted to stare at Emma for a little bit longer. But Emma didn’t need that right now. Or ever probably. It’s not like Regina was ready either. She just _thought_ she was. And her thoughts hadn’t exactly led to making the best decisions romantically in the past few years. Neither of them deserved to put up with something when they both weren’t in their right mind. Right? 

Ruby distractedly entered the room again. She looked down at her phone before tucking it away. She then looked up at both women and when she realized neither of them were injured, she gave them a bright smile. She walked closer. “I’ll never be able to thank you enough for this Regina.” Ruby confessed. Her voice was tight with emotion. “Really. I’ll buy you imported coffee every day for the rest of your life if that’s what you want.” They both chuckled.

“No need. I’m happy to help.” She turned to Emma. “Let me know if you need anything.” Regina moved to leave, but a calloused hand on her elbow stopped her. It was Emma. Their eyes met for a final time. Emma’s softened, and grew wet as she spoke. 

“Thank you.”

Regina could only smile shyly back before escaping downstairs. When she made it to the very last step, she pressed against the wall. A deep breath escaped her lips. 

Fuck. She was _so_ fucked.

 

 

—————————

 

Ruby came down not an hour later. Graham had come to open the shop as always and was cleaning tables when she trotted down the stairs. Regina was putting the baked goods on display. She was immensely proud of them. She baked them as fresh as she could and they sold out fast. (It was intensely gratifying after hours and hours of folding puff pastry for optimal flaky perfection)

“Can I talk to you for a sec?” Ruby asked. Regina nodded and moved reluctantly away from her work. The shop wouldn’t open for another thirty minutes (it was six now) so she had time. But that didn’t mean she wanted to have this potentially emotional conversation in her shop. They went to a space in front, near the windows and beside a small table— most importantly away from Graham.

“What’s up?”

“I just wanted to give you a heads up. I’ll be back everyday to check in. If it’s not me it’ll probably be Dorothy, either way—someone she knows will be here once a day if not more, depending on how she handles everything. You and I both talked about her PTSD and—”

“—I remember every detail about the countless pamphlets and articles you sent me. I get it. I already briefed most of the employees on it too —just to be safe.” 

Ruby exhaled a sigh of relief. “Thank fuck. I know I shouldn’t be worried about _you_ of all people knowing enough about PTSD not to send her into a flashback. I just…” Ruby swallowed hard. Her arms crossed in front of her chest. “I worry about her.” Her voice was low. As if trying to keep her worries to herself. “Things have been tough recently. I mean—they’ve been bad since she came back but things were getting better. At least for a little while. Then this huge setback happened and….I just want her safe. So do her parents but they—I—we—”

“—They haven’t lived through what you have. They can’t understand, no matter how much they try and the more they try they just somehow manage to make it worse.” Regina recited from experience. She had been like that too. Still was with certain people.

“YES! Exactly! I almost forgot how much I love you.” Ruby pulled her into another hug with a watery laugh.Regina laughed too, and hugged back. She and Ruby had been friends for nearly two years. There was never a dull moment between the two between Ruby’s adventurous spirit and Regina’s mischievous tactics. They were close and Regina cherished that closeness. It had been hard living here without someone. But Ruby saved her. Like a ray of sunshine she broke through the darkness Regina had dwelled in and brought her out to live again.The thought of life before Ruby’s influence prompted Regina to turn a silly hug into an intimate one. She pulled Ruby closer and pushed her head down to the crook of her neck.

“It’s going to be ok. She’s going to be ok.” Regina assured. Hot tears slipped down her neck instantly.

“How do you know for sure? I mean you haven’t seen her—she’s messed up.” Ruby whined. The words  were muffled but Regina understood.

Regina snorted. “Aren’t we all?” Ruby snorted back, but didn’t move. “She’s got strength left…She’s a fighter. I can tell. She might be getting set back now, but she’ll be on the right track soon. With you and Dorothy on the case—I have no doubt about it.”

They hugged it out for a few seconds, both letting loose tears. The ding of the door startled them both. It was only Ava, one of the baristas.

She looked sheepish. “Sorry for the intrusion. I tried to wait but I wanted time to brew one of the newer orders before my shift.” 

Regina cleared her throat and brushed her hands against her apron as if to brush off the vulnerability she felt at the moment. It didn’t work. Regina was known as a hard-ass to her employees. She checked their asses when needed and scared the living shit out of them for fun. Her persona was good for productivity. She didn’t need her good name tarnished by one witnessed _alleged_ hug.

When the pair parted, Ava scooted into the shop before shooting into the back to do as she said she would. Ruby chuckled.

“I can’t believe they are still afraid of you. I’d think after all this time they’d see through you.”

“Like you did?” 

Ruby’s smile softened. “Yeah, like I did…I’ll let you get to work. I’ve gotta get going anyway—Dorothy and I are having breakfast at this bistro she likes. Can’t be late! I love you.” 

Regina smiled back. “Love you too.”

 

 

——————-

 

The shift was busy but quiet. Graham and Ava were on their toes per usual, giving fast quality service and not messing up a single order. The only problem was Henry. He was the newest recruit. Fresh out of his sophomore year of high school for the summer, clumsy as hell but sweeter than a peach. But his clumsiness tended to make him a liability. With the amount of customers they had, the shop couldn’t afford to have him shunned to the back for the safety of everyone inside. So he was allowed to barista. He messed up 30% of the orders, dropped two and tripped over his own feet getting more pastries from the back. It was a mess—he was a mess. But Regina didn’t have the heart to fire him.

Not with his floppy coffee colored hair and warm hazel eyes flecked with gold. Not with his dopey grin and love for all things Lovecraftian.

“Hey Miss Mills—did that veteran friend of a friend come yet?”He asked during a lull in service. (He always called her Miss Mills—as if she wasn't just a few years older than him) 

“Yes. She’s upstairs right now actually.” ( _And I should have checked in on her by now. She’s probably destroyed a wall or something_ ) It had been almost four hours since Ruby dropped her off. Not a peep. Regina was a little concerned, but ignored it in favor of being in denial. Facing Emma with Ruby just outside the room had been hard enough, but facing her without a buffer would be hard as hell. What with her maximum sexiness and seemingly total lack of awareness of that fact. Fuck.

“Fuck!” She tipped a pitcher of hot milk in her state of distraction. Regina sucked her now burned finger into her mouth. The hot milk should have been handled with care, but distraction was a bitch.

“Fuck! I mean fudge, Miss Mills are you ok?” Henry rushed over. He fussed over her hand for a moment, despite her waving him off, and eventually—when fully convinced she was alright—let her go.

“How cute is she?” He asked. His eyes were bright with amusement.

“What?!”

“How cute is she? If you’re getting that distracted thinking about her—which you never do by the way—then she has to be a Victoria’s Secret model or something.” Henry commented casually as he went about cleaning the spill Regina had made. He glanced up at her with a teasing expression as he awaited an answer.

“She—I—the—”

“Is she your soulmate?! That’d be so cute if she was! Like something out of a hallmark movie. Humble coffee shop owner falls for rough around the edges but irresistibly mysterious veteran.”

“She’s most certainly attractive.” Graham commented. He came up behind them silent but deadly—as he always did—with a smirk on his handsome face. “Most certainly Regina’s type.”

“I don’t have a type!?” It came out as more of a question, which was embarrassing.

“Uh, yeah you do. First Katherine before you both realized you’d be better off as friends. Then that Robin guy then Tinka. Blonde, bold and helpful. That’s the definition of a type.” Graham teased with a loud laugh. Henry joined him, even Ava who tried to keep shop talk professional only for some reason, was sucked in and laughed just as loud as the rest.

“ _Ha Ha_ my failed love life is very funny. I know.” (Distantly thoughts of just _how much_ of a failure her love life had been filled her mind and Regina shuddered) “But the lunch rush is about to start. I should make sure she gets to eat like a decent human being before it starts.”

Regina went to the back and pulled out some sandwich supplies they always kept stocked, a few water bottles and one of her chocolate eclairs. She placed it on a tray with great care before taking a deep breath and heading towards the stairs. The apartment door was closed, but not locked. So she knocked.

No response. She knocked again. Nothing again. The murmur of a crowd signified the usual lunch crowd (which usually consisted of overachieving college students or bored teens fresh from the movie theater a few doors down who brought their own lunches but always left with a few pastries between them). With Henry on as barista it was a health hazard to not supervise him. Regina pulled out a notepad, left a small note on the tray and slid it close to the door.

“I brought you lunch.” She said loud and in an unsure tone. “I um hope you like sandwiches…Lunch rush is about to start so I need to get going. I’ll be back up here to check on you in a few hours.”

She returned back down with a shaky sigh, and let the busy work pull her in. She didn’t see the tray get pulled into the room through a barely ajar door. Nor did she get to see Emma’s pleased smile at her first bite of the eclair.

 

——————

 

The rest of the day went by in a flash. Regina returned to the door with a bowl of extra leftovers a few hours after her first trip. She tripped over the empty tray.

Customers came and went. Hours and minutes passed and soon the next shift of baristas came and went, and then the day was over. Regina watched Henry bike home at 8. With a tired sigh, she began to clean up. She wondered, as the dullness of her movements hypnotized her, how Emma was. She still hadn’t come out. Hadn’t said a word. Barely moved from what Regina heard. But she was alive, as evidenced by the empty trays of food. What if she was scared or having a panic attack or something? It would be horrible of Regina to just leave her there to fend for herself. When the last bit of clean up was done, Regina headed to the door.

Hot coco with cinnamon and a small doggie bag of cookies—usually reserved for their very rare kids events in the winter— in her hand she knocked gently on the door with the side of her foot. 

“I don’t have a tray this time. I have to hand it to you.” Regina called out. That wasn’t true, there were plenty of trays. Emma didn’t need to know that. Luckily, the tactic worked. The door slowly opened with a squealing sound. An emerald eye peaked from the open space. It looked Regina up and down before retreating. The door closed again. Locks shuffled and clinked before the door was opened all the way. 

Emma looked just as she did when she’d come in. She’d ditched the hoodie in favor of a plain baggy white t-shirt. The same sweatpants. Her hair was up in a tight bun that pulled back the corners of her eyes. She looked everything like the soldier she had been. But nothing like the woman she was underneath that.

Emma cleared her throat. “Thank you. You really didn’t have to do this—you’ve already given me a place to stay. Feeding me is unnecessary.” 

Regina simply shrugged. “How else will you eat? And besides. Even if you kept a grocery store worth of items up here I’d never not check in. How was your day?” 

Emma flushed. “Not very interesting I’m afraid. Didn’t do much. But you had a busy day based on all the noise under the carpet.” She chuckled. Regina’s knees damn near gave out (Her mind had always been a traitorous thing. Supplying Regina’s mind with all sorts of sordid thoughts. Now supplying images of that exact sound echoing whilst a certain emerald eyed angel of a woman was above or below her. Fuck her life.)  

“Yeah—really busy day. I hope the noise didn’t disturb you too much?” 

“No—actually it was nice—kept me company.” Emma flushed even more. “I can’t thank you enough Regina, really. Letting me stay here is kind enough and your general consideration has been a gift. I don’t know how I’ll ever repay you.” 

“Dinner.” ( _Fuck! What the fuck am I doing?!?!? This is a bad Idea???) “_ Let me take you somewhere that serves something a little better than a sandwich and pastries.”( _My_   _mouth won’t stop!!!!!!)_

Emma—the poor thing—just stood there shellshocked. Welp—there went any chance Regina ever had of having some semblance of a friendship with this woman. She was being a douche. Once again for those in the back who hadn't fucking heard—Emma wasn’t ready for romance!  _Regina_ wasn’t ready for romance! Emma didn’t even need to respond. 

“That was stupid of me.” Regina confessed. “Ignore me—I’ll just—let me.” She booked the fuck out of the apartment, leaving the cup and cookies on the coffee-table. 

She didn’t stop moving until she biked all the way to her apartment. When her mind finally caught up with her mouth—she scrubbed her hands over her face.

Fuck she shouldn’t have done that!

 

 

 

 

 


	2. Treading More Carefully

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A friendship begins and long held secrets begin to unravel.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for your super sweet comments! The response to the first chapter has been so amazing. I really thought no-one would want to read this and I was so scared, but people seem to like it so I'm super excited! This chapter is long. I didn't mean for it to be but It didn't feel right ending it anywhere other than where I did. 
> 
> Warnings for the Implied Child Abuse in this one. It's not that bad I think but I still wanted to put a warning. It's the very last part so if you're extra sensitive to things like that, skip it. I'll put a summary in the endnotes. Stay safe.
> 
> I hope you enjoy and have a great rest of your day!

 

The next week went in relatively the same fashion. Emma didn’t come out of the apartment. Regina still brought meals three times a day, and Ruby visited in the early mornings before the shop opened. The employees were becoming more and more curious about Emma though—asking Regina questions every chance they got. And Regina had no answers for them. None. Because she avoided actually seeing or speaking to the blonde at all costs after the disaster that had been her last attempt at communication.She had blurted out a come on for fucks sake—after they had mutually agreed to chill with the whole _we’re soulmates_ thing. Of course she’d avoid her.

But, she couldn’t help but be the tiniest bit curious. The woman was her soulmate after all. Regina never in a million years believed that she’d want to get to know her soulmate, but she was drawn to Emma like a bee to honey. It took too much effort to keep her visits down to dropping the trays off at the door. From the storage room she could hear Emma moving around, most likely rearranging the sparse furniture, moving boxes and the endless stream of junk in the apartment.

It was comforting to hear evidence of her presence even if she couldn't speak to Emma without making herself look like a fool.  

 

————

 

Every employee would remember where they were and what they were doing when _it_ happened.

It was the end of the day. After the crowd affectionally dubbed the _‘I’ve-been-at-work-all-day-and-i’m-addicted-to-caffeine-but-my-office-doesn’t-have-a-keurig_ ** _-help_** _’_ squad left. The final employees (today Graham, Henry and Ava’s twin brother Nick) were cleaning up. They were just preparing to kick the stragglers out when _it_ happened. The door that went to the mysterious upstairs apartment opened. Boots stomped confidently across the floor and down the stairs. Then she was there. In all her intimidating glory.

Henry spotted her first. His mouth dropped wide open, his eyes almost popped out of his head. He dramatically dropped the container of dishes he’d been carrying. They landed on the floor with a thud. The blonde spun around at the sound, eyeing the boy with apprehension and wariness.

“Do you work here?” She asked. Henry’s mouth wouldn’t work. Fuck, he couldn’t move. She was _here!_ Hot veteran, Miss Mills’ way too obvious crush/possible soulmate was _here._ He must have been taking a long time to speak. The blonde grew worried and placed a warm hand on his shoulder. “Are you ok kid? Are you injured or something?”

Henry only let his mouth open and close like a fish a few times. Words were non-existent. 

“He’s not hurt ma’am. Just stupid. My name’s Graham Humbert—I’m the manager of this fine establishment. How may I help you?” Graham swept in, saving the day with natural charm.

The blonde laughed and held out her hand for Graham to shake. He did, hesitantly. “I'm Emma Nolan. I live upstairs now. I was looking for Regina.”

Graham’s eyes widened imperceptibly. He was thinking what Henry was thinking. They were going on a date. Holy shit. “She’s probably up front kicking stragglers out. I’ll take you right to her.” And he did. The pair made it up to the front with Henry wandering behind them. Regina was upfront alright, roughly attempting to clean a rather large coffee stain from her t-shirt.

Regina spotted Henry out the corner of her eye. She huffed.“Some Bieber look-a-like wasn’t watching where he was going _again_. Can you grab me a change from the back?” He nodded mutely and ran off to her office. Too shocked for words to warn her of Emma’s sudden appearance. He was lucky he left. The second Regina saw Emma, then Graham, and remembered Henry’s shocked face she wanted to kill him for not warning her.

She tried pulling her apron up to cover the rather ugly stain on her white shirt, but it was no use. The stain started right at the collar, and the apron was just too short to cover. It looked ugly and dirty and messy and just—uggggh fuck.

“Miss Nolan? What brings you down here?” Regina asked. Her eyes were too wide and her smile just a bit too much but Emma didn’t seemed phased by it.

She just looked bashful as she scratched the back of her neck. “You said something about getting dinner a couple nights ago. It took me a while to get used to the idea of being out in public again— especially without Ruby—but I’m ready. If still you want to go that is.”

Regina’s eyes were saucers. Her mouth hang wide open. She looked like Henry so much and Graham wanted to laugh so bad. But Regina would kill him tomorrow morning when she remembered. If she even came to work tomorrow. This woman had strong arms and her fingernails were nice and short and she looked exactly like someone Regina would go for. Looked exactly like the type of woman Regina _should_ have gone for—not that kleptomaniac asshat Robin or that sweet but distracted train wreck Tinka. And the connection between them was beyond obvious. He could totally see this turning into a hallmark movie. Regina would fall asleep in Emma's arms on a horse-drawn carriage riding through the city at night on the way back. Emma would tuck her into her bed like she was a delicate flower. They'd avoid each other for a few days then come together because of something stupidly convenient and profess their love. 

“Uhh—”

“—It’s been a really long day. I’m sure Regina’s tired, but she’d love to go with you. I bet she’d also love to take you to that really nice place down the block once Henry gets her change of shirt.” Graham interjected with a glare in Regina’s direction. She stiffly nodded. Before things could get worse, Henry appeared with the shirt. Regina scrambled to the employee bathroom to change, while Henry and Graham staid behind. Emma looked shocked, but not overwhelmed. So Graham decided to shoot his shot.

“Regina’s been through a lot.” He simply stated. His voice dropped an octave and took on an intimidating tone. Emma’s eyes shot to him. She looked even more shocked if possible. “You both have. But we have a responsibility to Regina you see—she’s been my boss for the past four years. My friend for the same amount of time. I showed up on the shop’s backdoor wet from rain and with no place to stay. Within five minutes of talking to me she offered me a job and a place on her couch. We’ve been close ever since.”

“Yeah,” Henry added. “And I break pretty much everything everyday but she hasn’t fired me yet.”

“What we mean by all this is: we respect you. Both because of your service to this country and your connection to Ruby. But we love Regina. She’s family to us. So, in the event that you hurt her in any way we will chop you up into pieces so tiny no-one will be able identify you.” Graham threatened. His voice dropped to just outside a growl as he stepped forward.

Emma stepped forward as well. Her expression was guarded but friendly. She was trying to appear non-threatening yet confident. “We are only friends. You have nothing to worry about.”

“I’ll believe it when I see it.” Graham practically whispered. His gut told him that whatever was going on between Emma and Regina was not just friendship. Whether they believed that or not. And his gut had never steered him wrong before.

“Alright we can go now.” Regina called. She had switched her shirt out for the simple black tank top Henry brought her. Her small handbag was clutched in one hand, her wallet in the other. “Are you ready Miss Nolan?” Emma nodded.

Without further ado, the pair were out the door. Regina sent the boys one more glare before disappearing around the corner.

 

————————

 

The place Graham had been referring to was one of Regina’s favorite’s. A small soul food restaurant called Tiana’s Place. It was owned by a friend of the brunette’s which meant they got a discount and seats with a view. (The ones on the roof were usually reserved for special occasions only. Birthdays, weddings, rich folks wanting to show off, and things of that nature. But, when Tiana spotted Regina walking into the restaurant with a lovely blonde by her side for the first time in a year and a half, she immediately opened a seat up for them.) Emma hadn’t been too sure about agreeing to come—seeing as she had barely known Regina for a week. Soulmate or not, Emma wasn’t one to just go anywhere with a stranger. But the woman was proving to be great company. 

She was smart. Smarter than she seemed. For a woman appeared to only own a coffeeshop (which Emma learned was named 'The Forbidden Fruit'), Regina had bachelor's degrees in both culinary arts and medicine (though she chose to follow her heart's desire and open a coffeeshop as opposed to continuing down the road of a pediatrician as she'd planned), she spoke both Spanish and Italian fluently and could quote Shakespeare off the top of her head as if she'd wrote it. And she was funny too. In that self-deprecating way that Emma knew all too well hid true feelings of self-loathing. But Emma didn’t mind. Not even when her dark eyes would glaze over on occasion. When whatever darkness lingered in her mind took over for short periods of time. Emma only asked about it once. They were walking out of the restaurant after a pretty successful outing. The owner had somehow managed to get them ice cream to go. So they were munching on that as they wandered about the sidewalks outside the shop passing by a busy street when Regina’s eyes drifted again. 

“Hey. You ok?” Emma asked after she was gone for what was becoming an alarming amount of time. Regina snapped out of it as if she’d been slapped. She wobbled for a few moments before coming to herself.

She smiled a false smile. “I’m fine. Just tired—that’s all.”

Emma hummed. “You know, good friendships aren’t supposed to be built on lies. You know pretty much everything about me—Ruby told me so—can’t you reveal just a little about you?” She gave the words a childish whine to keep them light. It worked. Regina chuckled and shook her head.

“You’re right. I do know a lot about you. It’s only fair that I return the favor. I…” The mood grew serious again. “I can’t tell everything tonight. I know that’s selfish. But I—”

“—It’s not selfish. And there’s no rush. Take your time.” Emma assured. The brunette gave her a grateful smile.

They settled on a bench a few feet beside the shop. Silence fell and Regina took several deep breaths. It took her a few moments to gather the right words. They didn’t come. But she did manage to blurt out, “I grew up in Brooklyn.” 

Emma chuckled. “I had no idea.” She said in a teasing tone. Regina spun to look at her. Her eyebrows raised in intrigue. 

“What exactly does that mean?”

"It _means_ I couldn't tell you grew up there with the way you yell ‘Henry! Get ya slow ass in here I swear to gawd.’ every thirty minutes.” Emma mimicked a shitty Brooklyn accent but it was close enough to make Regina snort out ice-cream from her nose.

“Fuck you! I don’t sound like that.” 

“Yes you do!” They fell into a fit of laughter and snorting in the dead of night without a care. It was nice to be so happy with someone who got it. Although Regina hadn’t explicitly stated anything yet that would suggest she understood, Emma had a feeling. But she wouldn’t push just yet. Regina was obviously struggling and to be honest she would have been too if Ruby hadn’t aired most of her dirty laundry already. 

The laughter died down after a while. Regina took another deep breath. “This is harder than it should be for me. I do this every week. Confess my past to virtual strangers. And yet, it’s harder with you.”

“What do you mean?”

“I go to a support group. Three actually. It’s kind of pathetic. I can’t bring myself to go to a proper therapist, so instead I talk to strangers three nights out of the week. One’s for living after losing a loved one suddenly, one for living with the aftermath of having a _really_ shitty parent, and one for living life with PTSD.” She followed up with a small snort. Her eyes stayed on the melting ice cream in her slightly trembling hands.

They were silent for a few moments. Emma was sure Regina meant to reveal those things to her but it still took some adjustment to imagine. Imagine Regina in a situation similar to hers, sleeping all day, barely moving and barely feeling. She didn’t _want_ to imagine it.

“Is that where you met Ruby?” Emma asked.

Regina nodded. “It was the one for living after losing a loved one. I’m sure you know about Peter. She and I have…similar stories. We connected, went out for drinks after the group, got ice cream at my place and sobbed until the early hours of the morning. We’ve been friends ever since. What about you guys? Ruby never did tell me how you met.”

Emma laughed at the memory of their meeting. “Well, we were about six I think. We grew up in this small town in Maine right, so just bear in mind everything is kind of exaggerated due to the smallness of the town. Anyway, it was the annual fall carnival. Kids dressed up in their best get ups and lined up to get judged for this contest. The prize was a months supply of free ice cream sundaes from this really nice diner. My parents took me down there, thinking I’d be the only girl in the town weird enough to try to attempt to be Captain America for Halloween, and there was Ruby. She stole my outfit. She wore the exact same one—same shield and everything! It was on sight. We attacked each other, kicking and scratching and biting. Our parents couldn’t pull us apart. We were like rabid dogs. When we got tired, we kind of just looked at each other—deemed the other worthy—and became best friends for life.”

Regina’s laughter echoed through the streets. It was lovely. It warmed Emma like hot chocolate  on a snow-day. When she was coherent enough to think, Regina caught a glimpse of the time on her wristwatch.

Her eyes widened. “If I don’t book it I’ll never get enough sleep to function tomorrow!” She exclaimed, then looked up at Emma with a guilty expression.

Emma smiled down at her and shrugged. “I get it. Don’t worry…We should do this again.”

“Yeah definitely.”

They both stood, their hands awkwardly hovering above their back pockets.Emma would have spoken first, but out of nowhere she was hit with an almost overwhelming wave of emotion. It wasn’t the usual case of anxiety choking the words in her throat. Setting a fire of both uncertainty and fear in her gut. She was speechless for an entirely different reason this time. 

Emma had realized from their first meeting, that Regina was an attractive woman, but never before had she allowed herself to dwell on her obvious attraction. In that moment though, it was hard not to feel the pull of their bond. Soul-words were guides more than anything else, but when the pair of destined mates met they were drawn to each other inexplicably. So, she could have blamed her feelings on that instinctual bond. But she knew better. It was both the bond and her own curiosity about the woman who now stood before, with blush stained cheeks and a sweet smile.

It was hard not to want to give in and say fuck-it to the risks. But Emma wouldn’t do that to her. She wouldn’t put Regina into a position where she could get hurt. And there was no doubt in Emma’s mind that she would hurt her ( _I’m too broken now not to do anything but hurt her)_.

Regina cleared her throat and blushed. “I’ll see you in the morning Miss Nolan.”

“It’s Emma.”

Regina smiled. “Ok Emma. Good Night.”

“Good Night Regina.” 

Regina was off on her bike in less than five minutes and Emma was left alone again. But when she opened the shop back up and smelled the bitter perfume of coffee that now reminded her of Regina, the loneliness didn’t feel as overwhelming.

 

 

—————-

 

It happened again every Wednesday for three weeks in a row. The day would go as planned and just before closing, Emma would climb down the stairs and search for Regina. They’d go anywhere within walking distance—whether it was a park or a bistro it didn’t matter—as long as they were together. Emma still hadn’t come down during the day (a fact which frustrated the employees to no end. They waited with bated breath almost everyday to see if their new favorite blonde would make an appearance)

Spoiler. She didn’t. At least until she did.

Not until the weekly outings had turned into every other day outings. Not until Regina took her lunch breaks up in the apartment. Not until their shared laughter echoed down from the creaky floorboards. It was week seven when she came down during the day for the first time.The work day had been slow. Slower than usual, but not totally unexpected. The movie theater next door was going under some sort of construction that day—which meant their usual influx of kids would go down drastically for the next few days.The employees, Regina included, were lounging about. Checking on pastries and making random cups of coffee to occupy themselves until lunch rush. Emma came down with as much false confidence as she could muster. (She only managed to look less sheepish and a bit scared but also tremendously excited.) She held a thick red blanket tight in her grip and a black wristlet wallet that Ruby had given her that morning (It had been hell trying to explain to the brunette _why_ she needed the damn thing and just _why_ she couldn’t get it herself. It was embarrassing to admit that she hadn’t set foot outside the shop alone since arriving.) 

She quietly padded further into the shop. When she reached just behind the register where most of the employees stood, she cleared her throat.Graham turned first, his eyes widened at the sight of the blonde. She looked…well…cute. She wore a black t-shirt, light jeans and combat boots. Simple, but with her hair in what could only be described at princess curls and the flannel shirt wrapped around her waist—showcasing her heavenly arms—she looked like a vision. A very gay one.

He smiled, and nudged Regina with his hip. She turned to snap at him on instinct but managed to stop at the sight of Emma. Emma ,the gorgeous vision she was, standing behind the counter with the most sheepish expression and her hands practically glued to her back pockets. 

Emma cleared her throat again. “I know this is probably really bad timing. But…Last night you talked about a picnic and well…today I actually feel up to it—If you can’t go though I totally get it. Really last minute. Really stupid—”

“—-No no! I mean I’d love to but—

“—the shop will be left in good hands Ms. Mills I swear it.” Graham assured with a smirk. Regina shot him a glare, but he didn’t wither in the slightest. He was used to her by now, and had learned how not to cave under the pressure of her glares.

Regina relented with a sigh. “Alright. Just let me grab my bag and we can head out.”

 

————

 

After much deliberation, they agreed upon a park near the shop. It was small and quiet but had enough exits to appease Emma’s worrying mind and close enough to The Forbidden Fruit placate Regina’s. They set up shop on a small spot near one of the exits, far enough to be within nature but also within running distance of plenty of hotspots, if something were to happen.The sun was high in the sky now, shining down in bright streams of light. The light filtered through the trees, casting gorgeous paintings on Emma’s face. She looked like an angel once again. (Regina had to swallow hard to keep the compliments from coming out.)

Emma had come down the stairs prepared. Having already enlisted Ruby’s help in getting sandwich supplies and a small wicker basket.(When Ruby smiled her smile and asked just _why_ she felt the need go to so much trouble for someone she “barely knew”—as had been Emma’s excuse about not going out with Regina before their first outing—Emma most certainly did not blush and stammer out a mumbling explanation.)

“How’s Katherine?” Emma asked. The question was muddled under her BL (tomatoes were of the devil).

Regina chuckled. “She’s good. Dating a guy named Jim now. He’s a sweetheart, a gym teacher or something like that. How’s Dorothy? She hasn’t come by in a while.”

Dorothy was Ruby’s very responsible and very sane soulmate. A stark contrast to the free spirited wild child persona Ruby so easily let the world see. They were perfectly matched in a way, as Dorothy’s strict upbringing prompted her to present the opposite persona of her true self. One of tight-lipped controlled expressions and constant professionalism. She let her guard down around Ruby, and freed herself of the persona just as Ruby did with her. They were the epitome of soulmates. 

“She’s doing well from what Ruby’s said. She’s working in Peru for some special project. She’ll be back in a week I think.”

Regina nodded in understanding and dug back into her mostly garden sandwich. They sat in companionable silent after that, speaking only of small talk and little anecdotes about their day they hadn’t shared yet.

“A friend of mine…He called me this morning. Says he wants to visit.” Emma confessed. Tension filled her body at the memory. She was a live-wire of anxiety.

“Oh? How do you feel about that?”

Emma snorted. “You sound like a therapist.”

“I know”,Regina said with a smile. “But I couldn’t think of anything else to say.”

Emma chose to use her sandwich as a silent excuse to not have to speak yet. She didn’t want to talk about how she felt. Even if she knew it was necessary (her former therapist had told her so) Regina was an openminded individual and Emma knew she wouldn’t judge her for the way she felt, but the knowledge didn’t make the act of saying it out loud any easier.

She sighed. “Its not that I don’t love the guy—we’ve been friends since forever—but seeing him is gonna stir up some stuff I don’t want stirred…”

“What do you mean by that?”

“He and I served together. He lost his hand in the same event that led to me eventually getting discharged. I feel like seeing him is gonna just ruin all the good progress I’ve made recently. It’s not much but it’s something.”

“Something to you is everything. You’re doing better than I was. After I left the hospital I locked myself in my apartment for six months and only ate when I absolutely needed to. But you are out and about with me. Enjoying nature and your new found sense of freedom.” The brunette smiled a bright smile.

“You know that’s all because of you right?”

She laughed and ducked her head down. Her chocolate brown hair fell down to hide her blushing cheeks  “I don’t know about all that. Regardless, something is everything. Something is better than nothing. You’re stronger than you give yourself credit for.” She reached forward and took Emma’s hand in hers. They locked eyes and Emma swore all the terrible, horrible things she’d thought evaporated at the sight of dark amber eyes. “I know I’ve been plenty mysterious about my past, but I need you to know that one of the most important things I learned through my initial recovery, was that it’s ok to go at your own pace. And it’s ok to not feel ready all the time. If he says he wants to see you and you don’t feel ready, tell him no. Don’t hurt yourself to please him.”

Emma took her words into the very pit of her soul. She held them there and kept them locked away for safe keeping—but in a few hours time she would be thinking over this conversation and taking them in stride.

But now, Regina’s phone went off loud. A rendition of ‘Wake Me Up’ by Evanescence but in the style of an off tune kazoo blared loudly. She laughed an ugly laugh (the good kind of ugly) “It’s the shop. I’m sorry.”

“No problem. Take it and I’ll clean this up. I’m sure they need you if they called.” She turned to clean up the blanket and goods. Before she knew it however, Regina was pulling her things together in a frenzy.

“Wow wow wow what’s going on?” Emma asked. She held out her hands to Regina in support. The woman was struggling to stay on her feet, some terrible mix of fear and anger had washed over her and left her in a haze of sorts. It scared Emma.

“Henry—Henry came into work and it’s bad. I need to—we need—”

“Okay love, just take some deep breaths and we’ll leave right now. Okay?” Regina nodded silently, and allowed herself to be led back towards the shop.

 

 

————

 

When they arrived the shop was still open, but Graham and Henry were nowhere to be seen. Regina ran to the back immediately, taking Emma with her almost unconsciously. She clung to the woman when she came upon Henry.

He was a mess. A bloody nose, covered in vibrant bruises and with a wince to his every breath. Graham was tending to him as best as he could, but a generic first aid kit could only do so much. He had sat the boy on the closest chair, his shirt in his hands, as he tenderly wrapped his ribs. There wasn't much left for Graham to do, considering the injuries there were both old and in the worst spot possible. (Only meds could help him now) He looked like he’d been jumped, but Regina knew better. She had suspected for weeks with the way he acted—always vigilant, always on edge, quick to apologize and even quicker to run—but this was the only piece of solid evidence she’d seen so far. It made her sick.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” She demanded when she found the words. Henry looked beyond afraid, and didn’t dare say a word. He knew he was in deep shit. Regina didn’t ask for much from her employees in truth—only efficiency and transparency. If you’re having a family emergency and can’t come in, shoot her a text with just enough detail and she’d let you off as long as you promised to work like hell the next day. She gave them the same curtesy. If she was having a bad day, couldn’t manage to get out of bed or find the will to make the trek to the shop she’d send a text and that was that.

Now Henry managed to hide the secret of all secrets. Regina swallowed her harsh tone, as it was of no use now. She closed the door, and took a deep breath before letting it out. The people in this room were trustworthy enough. Graham was her best friend and Emma was Emma. It would be fine. “They look like they’re days old. But the one on your face is fresh. Why the hell didn’t you tell me?”

“Tell you what?” He asked innocently “I got jumped on my way here—“

“—don’t you fucking lie to me! _I_ know, okay?! _We_ ” She motioned to herself and Graham, “know! So why didn’t you fucking _tell us_?”Henry’s eyes flickered to Emma. His shoulders slumped. He instantly clamped his eyes shut in remorse but Regina got the picture. She turned to the blonde. “I’ll meet you upstairs once I get this resolved. Can you make it up by yourself?” Emma nodded, and left without another word. She had never been in the habit of staying in places when she could tell her presence was unwanted. (not in a malicious way, just in the way that most embarrassed teenagers got about having people they barely knew hearing their deepest darkest secrets)

When the door closed behind them and in the distance the apartment door shut with a quiet click, the stillness came. They didn’t move for a few minutes. Anxiety and anger and fear clung to the air like perfume. Regina was stiff, not daring to look at him in fear of lashing out at him out of fear again. She was ashamed of herself. He was hurting and most certainly didn’t need her yelling in his face right now. When two hot tears fell from his eyes, landing on his folded hands with a plop, she sighed.

Her soft spot for him had only grown since the moment she’d met him. He was a clumsy little thing, unsure of his lanky body and sheepish manner in a way that reminded her so much of _him._ So she’d gravitated to him. Felt herself wanting to protect him. Then she got to know him and it was over. He was the sweetest, most gentle old soul. He held an understanding in his hazel eyes that still left Regina speechless. She’d noticed the signs before. It was hard for her not to notice when his very presence at times screamed at her. She knew the way he winced, flinched and tried to hide. But she said nothing. She couldn't make accusations without solid proof, that would only end in pain. 

But he didn’t deserve this. No-one did.

She pulled him into her arms. He broke in them, fat tears falling fast. The boy clung to her as quiet sobs tore from his throat. Graham stood behind them, his back to the door like a silent sentry.Almost half an hour passed, before Henry felt strong enough to move let alone face the world outside that door. He sat up from Regina’s warm embrace, and winced again as the pain overwhelmed him.

“I’ll get him some meds.” Graham’s low voice said from out of nowhere, thoroughly scaring the pair. The rehashing of old wounds was leaving them all jittery and Regina couldn’t blame him for wanting to get away. 

“I think I have some 800mg ibuprofen in the bathroom. Behind the mirror.” She told him. He nodded and left. Henry released a shaky sigh. “What’s wrong? —well besides the obvious?”

They both snorted. “I’m scared…I know I can’t work today—I look like a human punching bag—but if I don’t that means I have to go home.”

“Who said that?”

“Said what?”

“That you have to leave.” He gave her a confused look. “Look, we both know you can’t work today—I don’t need you bleeding into my croissants and lattes—but that doesn’t mean you have to leave. I’m sure the storage room could use a sweep or six. Inventory check is coming up. I wouldn’t mind a head start. The couch in my office could use a…check.” She said those things nonchalantly, as if she wasn’t offering the kid sanctuary from whatever horrible situation he found himself in.

She wanted to ask—but didn’t dare. She knew all too well the lengths he would go to hide the truth from her. She didn’t want to alienate him and push him into the arms of someone worse.

Henry smiled shyly at her and before she knew it pulled her into a tight hug.“Thanks Miss Mills…I know you didn’t really sign up for all this but—”

She wrapped her arms around his skinny form “—shut up.” She mumbled into his neck.

They didn’t speak for a while and when Graham returned with the meds no-one said a word. Henry went to the storage room with a smile and Regina returned to Emma’s side and let the blonde distract her with some random anecdote about her boring day.

When Henry got a text that night, after slipping into his room through a window, it detailed the new, longer schedule he was starting the next day. He certainly didn’t smile like a fool.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Henry comes into work with bruises both fresh and old. Regina freaks out--though she's suspected for a while that something was happening to him. Graham tries to remain calm and Henry tries to keep it together. Things are mostly resolved, though Regina 'makes' Henry start an earlier shift at the shop to get away from whatever it is that's hurting him.


	3. Worlds Collide

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emma's makes a decision and regrets it almost immediately.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The response to the last two chapters has been so amazing thank you so much! I'm beyond ecstatic you all like this. I can't wait to share more. My posting schedule will be Tuesdays and Fridays. I don't remember if I said that or not. Hope you enjoy!

“I said yes.”

“To him coming?"

Emma nodded and bit back into her pizza. She hadn’t had pizza in for-fucking-ever and  had to admit the feel of the piping hot cheese and grease coating her tongue was like heaven. Not the mention to the flavors of the shit ton of various meats she’d ordered. Whereas Regina, being the classy and health conscious woman she was, ordered a simple veggie pizza with only a little bit of bacon and a respectable amount of cheese. Emma found she wanted to be indulgent. Which somehow led to a full fledged box of meat lover’s pizza with extra cheese just for herself.

(It was a comfort tactic really as the weight of her final decision about Killian’s visit had been sitting on her chest since she’d sent the confirmation text that morning.)

“What finally swayed your decision?” Regina asked.

“Seeing you and Henry together a few days ago actually. I realized I didn’t really have anybody to lean on like that—you know? Ruby and Dorothy are amazing but I feel like crap when I call them at three a.m because I can’t feel my face. They deserve better than that. And Killian was that guy for me before…so maybe he could be that again.”

Regina chewed slowly on her bite of pizza. The cogs in her brain were almost visibly turning. “You know…After all this time I never gave you my phone number.”

“Huh? What’s that gotta do with—”

She silenced Emma with a wave of her hand. A pen appeared from seemly thin air, as did a greasy napkin with numbers on it. “Here.” Regina handed it to her. “When you need someone to talk to. I’ve been told I’ve got good listening ears.”

Emma took the paper and slipped it into her wallet. She made sure to tuck it beside her I.D and not the credit card. Not that she’d actually use the damn thing anytime soon, but she didn’t want to take the risk of losing that precious piece of paper. She wanted to call Regina as soon as she got the chance.

The woman had been on her mind almost every day as of late. In her dreams and in her waking hours she thought of Regina. Not in a creepy way…just in a nice way. Ways that made Emma smile. Ways that warmed her and comforted her when nothing else seemed to.

Like when watching a stupid television show and thinking about the witty commentary Regina would make. Or when reading one of the several of books Regina left for her, and having her mind  supply the brunette’s voice for narration on the passages marked with a tiny asterisk in pencil beside them—Regina’s favorites.

Stuff like that.

It wasn’t creepy…Not really.

Anyway, Emma found she enjoyed Regina’s company a lot more than she had first anticipated. The happiness she found in Regina’s presence had begun to translate into her daily life. She did her own laundry for the first time in forever just the other day. She’d been having Ruby do it for her at her condo because it was easier but that day she’d been possessed by a stroke of courage. She climbed out of bed, grabbed the nearest bag of laundry and hightailed it to the laundromat a few blocks away before her mind could catch up.It felt good to be motivated again. And she was afraid Killian’s presence would ruin that. He wasn’t a bad guy per say—maybe a little mouthy and more-than-occasionally rude. Not to mention a raging drunk. Seeing him indulge in liquor the way she'd always wanted to but never dared would only make her life harder.

“Hey” Regina called out softly. She swept a stray hair from Emma’s forehead. “You’re starting to look like me darling—all spaced out. What’s going on?”

“Just thinking about what’s gonna happen when Killian gets here. He asked me to pick him up from the airport…I really don’t want to—I haven’t driven in months—but I feel like I have to. Ruby hates his guts and Dorothy planned on flying out to California that weekend so I can't ask them. And I don’t trust him not to scar an uber driver. When he gets here though, do I have to let him stay with me? I mean, I don’t want to do that because I like the way things are going right now. I like the little routine we’ve built. Bringing him is only gonna cause trouble." She didn't register the panic building behind her sternum. The painful pressure coupled with her racing heart. Her breathing sped up. "I can feel it in my gut. Shit! Why did I let him talk me into letting him stay?! Why—”

“Shh shh shh. It’s alright darling. Just take a few deep breaths.” Regina cooed as she reached out to rub Emma’s back. Her vision blanked as the panic set in and when it returned she found her head between her knees and Regina’s nimble fingers carding through her hair.

This had happened once before, when they were out at this very park. A car had backfired a few feet away and both women hit the deck. Emma’s breathing had become erratic. She’d been frantic and lost herself to memories of life threatening scenarios and horrifying events for a few minutes. Regina hadn't been fairing much better, but her experience helped her pull out of it faster. Emma had pushed Regina under the table, barking orders to men who were long since dead and searching for a nonexistent gun—shaking like a leaf all the while—-until Regina had managed to calm her down. Even when Emma was nothing a blubbering mess, Regina had been nothing but sweet and gentle. But that didn’t mean Emma couldn’t be embarrassed of herself. Embarrassed that she had been reduced to this after months of being strong. After years of being tough as nails. One event sent here into a tailspin.

Emma knew Regina had her own fair share of troubles—ones she still hadn’t talked about. Not in the three months they’d been hanging out—but the embarrassment didn’t lessen just because Regina knew what it was like too.

“Stop working yourself up darling. You’ll make yourself sick.” Regina gently chastised.

“I’m already sick.” Emma grumbled. Her throat was on fire and she winced.

“Yeah, well so am I. It’s getting late. Let’s wrap this up and I’ll take you home.”

They shuffled along the sidewalk at a slow pace. Emma’s grip on Regina was tight but that didn’t stop the brunette from dragging her along. They made it to the apartment, where Regina fished the key from Emma’s leather jacket pocket. No matter how much she was jostled or moved, Emma wasn’t letting go of Regina for anything. Not even when she was placed on the couch, her eyes scanning the ceiling as she tried hard to feel her body again. She had no control over it. It was like sleep paralysis (something she was all too aware of) but awake and it sucked ass. 

“Alright Em. Do you want me to stay or go?” Regina asked. Her breathing was labored from dragging Emma’s dead weight up a flight of steps. And when she moved to leave—since she took Emma’s silence to be a no born of mortification—Emma let out a harsh whimper.

She was scared. Scared to be left alone like this. To be left alone at all really. Regina was one of the most calming people on the planet for her, and she really wanted her there. But she couldn’t make her mouth move. Couldn’t get the words out. When the door shut she was sure the brunette was gone. A pitiful cry fell from her lips. Her face was on fire now. The blush a burning pain in her cheeks and ears.

A soothing voice shushed her. “Calm down Em. I’m right here. What do you need?” 

Relief swept through her. She wasn’t alone. Good good, that’s good. She flexed her hands by some miracle and by another Regina understood what she was trying to communicate. Regina gripped the calloused hand in her own, swiping her thumbs against her knuckles.

“How about I tell you a story? Something to take your mind off things?” Emma nodded stiffly. Then Regina began to weave a tale in low tones about a time many years past. A time where she’d been a carefree little girl running through Disneyland chasing down a Snow White actress with a spoon.It only took two stories for Emma to fall to sleep.By the end of the third, both women were curled around each other, nuzzling into each other and basking in the comforting warmth.

————-

 

Regina woke the next morning with a snort. A snort that only occurred when she slept like the dead. It didn’t seem like such a feat considering the clouds she slept on. She hummed in the back of the throat, cuddling closer to the warm clouds beneath her head.Her eyes snapped open in panic when she heard a heartbeat. Slowly—so slowly—she looked up at the human beneath her. She shot up like a rocket when she saw emerald eyes staring down at her.She damn near fell on her ass in an attempt to get up and out before Emma started yelling.

To her surprise Emma only looked as guilty and sheepish as she felt.

“I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable Regina. We already agreed to—shit— I’m sorry.” She begged. Regina was shocked. She had been dead ass expected a lecture or two from the blonde. Not an apology.

“What are you talking about?” She asked.

“Last night you kinda lulled me to sleep. I get real calm when I’m around you. I didn’t realize it would make you uncomfortable. If I had known I wouldn’t have let myself fall asleep. I’m sorry.”

Regina gave Emma a shocked stare. She was hunched on the couch, her eyes so apologetic. “No! I—well—I thought I was making you uncomfortable! That’s why I—”

Regina’s alarm went off in her coat pocket. ( _Jesus we didn’t even take out coats off.)_

“Is that important?” Emma asked.

“Yeah it’s my baking alarm. If I don’t hurry I won’t be able to make a few items fresh. I hate that.” She almost bolted. Almost. But Emma looked so sorry and Regina really didn’t want Emma to pull away just because she’d gotten comfortable enough with Regina to sleep when she needed it—so she ignored her brain’s pleas and said. “Have you ever made baked goods before?” 

 

—————-

 

As it turned out—Emma was absolute shit at baking.  Somehow though, they managed to make a few batches of apple turnovers, cookies and cake pops in two and a half hours. Regina did most of the work of course. But, being so close to Emma and joking around with the blonde was the highlight of her day.

 

—————-

 

Emma came down on a Thursday to pick up her friend—colleague—whatever he was. She was shaking, fidgeting with her jacket and procrastinating, stopping to talk to anyone and everyone who worked at The Forbidden Fruit, until Regina handed off a fancy drink to a young woman and approached her.

“Are you sure you don’t want me to go with you?” Regina asked from behind the counter. She swiped the counter one last time before letting her perfectionist tendencies go to comfort the ill-looking blonde. She had asked numerous times to go with Emma for moral support—Graham had even offered to tag along too much to the blonde’s surprise—but Emma had only refused.

“Again ‘Gina, no. I don’t want you exposed to Killian just yet. I need some time to get him cleaned up and trained not to pee on the hard wood floor.”

Regina chuckled. “Fine. I get it. But at least take this with you.” She handed Emma a small brown paper bag. “I made it for you. I know the airport’s a bit of a drive and I thought these would distract you a bit.”

Emma smiled and pulled the brunette into a hug. “Thanks ‘Gina. You’re the best.”

“I know I am.” She snarked.

Emma laughed. “I’ve gotta get going though. I’ll be late if I don’t haul ass now.” Her expression turned downtrodden as she remembered the plan she’d thought of the night before. Killian would be a mess the minute he stepped off the plane. It was bad enough that Emma had to bring him to the shop because she lived there—so her brilliant plan was to keep him busy with outings and dinners and lunches and things that weren’t anywhere near the fine establishment so he wouldn’t embarrass her too much.The upside was that Killian wouldn’t annoy or traumatize any of her new friends. (Over time, dinners with Regina had morphed into occasional dinners with Regina, Graham, Ruby and Dorothy—when the woman was in town—which was a nice change of pace and a fun time no matter what) The downside was that there wasn’t a guarantee Killian would leave in the allotted amount of time they’d agreed on (he usually didn’t) which meant she could be unintentionally abandoning her friends for the next few weeks because of him.

But she didn’t know what else to do.

The drive to the airport was riddled with Emma’s usual anxieties. The fear of being out in the open, the vulnerability she felt at being in such a crowded area without a form of protection. It was terrifying. And really fucking annoying. So she popped a valium at a red light and tried her best not to think about all the nights with Regina she’d be missing and the crippling sense of loneliness that was already starting to creep up on her.

A text came through as she pulled into a parking garage.

 **‘Gate G40. I’m walking out now. ;-]”** It said. Emma snorted at his use of emoticon and set about looking for the gate. It was easy enough to find and it didn’t take long for her to find him. It never did. He stood out like a sore thumb in the crowd. A leather jacket, worn combat boots and a half open black button down shirt weren’t exactly airport material. Neither was his guy-liner. It was all smudged now, giving a smokey seductive look that usually killed the ladies and gents at every other bar they went to.He spotted her almost instantly and gave her the most _Killian_ smile. A smile that was a pure mix of smugness, coquettish charm and drunkenness. He chucked his stuff in the back first, then slid in the passenger’s side with a loud sigh.

He _reeked_ of booze.

“Didja steal the airline’s entire supply Killian? Damn!” She questioned, genuinely curious. She wouldn’t put it past him to orchestrate something like that.

“Ha! No Swanny. Only the airplane I road in on. Look at you.” He twisted in his seat to get a better look at her. Despite how obviously drunk he was, he still managed to string together a few words that sounded like compliments on her appearance. She chuckled and thanked him then drove off, praying he’d sleep the entire ride away so she wouldn’t have to struggle with what to say to him.

He did. And it gave Emma time to think—Really think—about what she’d gotten herself into. Killian was one of her closest friends and yet she felt like she barely knew him at all. Like he barely knew _her_ at all. She was a different person now. Had been since the moment she stepped back on American soil. And the person she was now wasn’t compatible with thedrunk/high/all of the above Killian. That was a problem. Because that was Killian 90% of the time now.

But Emma knew Killian was going through a rough time. They all were. But he’d gotten hit pretty hard with the shit luck stick. Having lost his older brother earlier that year while overseas. He’d been unconscious recovering from his initial injuries on the day of his funeral. Then the loss of his hand. Those losses had piled up on top of the brutal loss they'd all suffered. It was no wonder he'd snapped under the pressure and drowned himself in liquor to feel better.

Parts of Emma hoped that with a little love and patience he could get better. And he wouldn’t have to be high or drunk all the time to function. And thatmaybe the friendship could last because she had a lot of love for him deep down under the frustration and didn’t want to lose one of the only friends she had left.

 

 

 

—————

 

 

 

The ride to the shop was near silent save for Killian’s snoring and Emma’s smacking as she ate the delicious strawberry shortcake cookies Regina made. When Emma pulled up to the parking lot, she groaned at the sheer amount of cars. Lunch hour. Perfect.As gently as she could, Emma nudged Killian’s leg.

“Wake up asshole! I have to figure out a way to get you in without causing a disturbance.” She barked.

He snuffled and jerked awake. “Disturbance?” He waved a hand dismissively. “Have you forgotten? I specialized in covert, Swanny. Being sneaky is easy peasy for me.” Emma rolled her eyes. 

“Yeah yeah I know. Now get your covert ass up so I can sneak you through the crowd.”

Outside the car, Emma straightened Killian’s clothes like a mother would her child. Shuffling them around to look straight and clasping his hands around the duffle bag—the only piece of luggage he brought with him ( _not a good sign_ ).

They began to walk closer and closer to the doors. When Emma could see the heads of her friends in the crowd she stopped and took Killian by his shoulders. “Look” Emma snapped. “The woman who’s letting me stay here is a friend of Ruby’s” _(not to mention my soulmate and close friend),_ ”and she’s really great and kind for letting me stay in what is essentially her coffee shop’s attic for an undetermined amount of time rent free. Don’t fuck this up for me!” She stared him down with the most threatening look she could muster. She was dead serious about this. This place was the change she needed. The support she needed. Regina understood and Graham gave her space and Henry was just too sweet for his own good and it was all really nice. She didn’t need Killian and his problems fucking it all up.

He nodded. Seemingly sober for the first time since leaving wherever the hell it was he’d come from. She had no doubt he’d been drunk since he returned. 

They made it inside with no problem even with more than a few eyes following them and a few scrunched up noses. She caught a glimpse of Regina on her way up to the stairs but could only bring herself to give a wave and a tiny smile. 

Killian collapsed on the couch the second he saw it, leaving Emma alone. So alone.

 

————

 

Emma fell asleep after a marathon of Law and Order: SVU a few hours later. She wasn’t awake to hear Regina quietly trot up the stairs and place a plate of donuts in front of the door.

A note was placed on the top. It read: _Hey Em, glad to see you and Killian got in safely. Let me know if you need anything._

 

_————-_

 

 _It was dark. Darker than any darkness had the right to be. The moon wasn’t even up. But the sand beneath her hands and knees was a clear sign of just where she was. It was just as she’d feared. She hadn’t left the wasteland her friends and family had died in. She was still there, writhing and crying in the sand. Something grabbed her foot. She yelped and snatched it away only for the sand to dissipate beneath her out of nowhere._   _Her stomach swooped and adrenaline rushed through her body as she began to fall. Soundless screams fell from her lips as she fell through what felt like space and time. Nowhere and everywhere. Her lungs hurt and she flailed and flailed for something to hold on to but it was like she was drowning amidst a soundless sightless sky and she couldn’t move she couldn’t move but she needed to move she needed—_

“Emma!” Someone called. But Emma couldn’t tell who it was. All she could tell was that she couldn’t move and she needed to move and—They called her again. Shook her. She felt their hands on her shoulders. But they left as soon as they arrived. Something wasn’t right. There was yelling and—

She woke up with a gasp. Her heart pounding against her chest as her eyes darted around the room. All she could hear was white noise. But as the white noise cleared and the room felt real again, Emma heard them yelling.

“Who the hell do you think you are, eh!? Just barging in here like you own the damn place when people are sleepin’?!”

“As a matter of fact I do own the place thank you very much and I heard the screaming and thought someone was in trouble!” 

“Well we’re fine thanks very much love. So you can just kindly FUCK OFF—”

‘“FUCK YOU! I OWN THIS DAMN BUILDING—”

“Guys!” Emma yelled, both Regina and Killian stopped in their tracks. Regina stood with a wide eyed stare, her hands rubbing over her chest where a bruise was blooming. She looked like she just came in for work with her simple jeans and blue long sleeve shirt. Killian was half naked, wearing only his boxers and hook in place of his left hand. 

“What the hell is going on?” Emma asked.

Regina cleared her throat. “I came in to do the pastries early because I was busy yesterday. I heard screaming and assumed the worst and completely forgot about Killian. I used my key thinking you were getting murdered or something and tried to wake you up as gently as I could when this asshole pushed me out of the way and started yelling like a madman.” She said while glaring at Killian. He glared back with just as much fire in his eyes.

Regina rubbed that spot on her chest again. The bruise beneath her shaking hand was purple. The type of purple that just screamed pain.“You said he pushed you. Is that bruise from him?” Anger bubbled up in her chest at the thought of anyone touching Regina like that, let alone someone she was friendly with.

“I thought she was hurting you Swan. What else was I supposed to do?” Killian whined like a little kid. Emma growled in frustration.

“NOT That!” Emma snapped rushing over to Regina to inspect the wound. It wasn’t bad but it still shouldn’t have happened at all. The purplish bruise only served as further reminder of what both she and Killian were capable of. “Are you alright?” Emma murmured. Regina nodded. 

“I bruise easily there. Don’t worry about it.” She rubbed at it again, and Emma had to force herself not to kiss her curl covered forehead.

“There's a story there, I can tell.” Emma commented quietly.

“A story you’ll hear when not in the company of Captain Guyliner.” Regina glared at Killian then all at once her anger dissipated. She sighed. “I’m sorry I burst in. I was just so worried. It won’t happen again. I need to get started on the pastries. You want to come help? I’ve always felt mindless distraction in the form of sugary treats helps me not think about the nightmares.” 

Emma smirked. “I wish. I don’t think it’s wise to leave him alone for too long.” Regina nodded and turned to leave. Emma closed the door behind her and when she turned back around, the previously smothered rage towards Killian rushed forward—ten fold.

“She your new toy for the month or something Swan? I’m impressed. She’s quite the looker.”

It exploded from nowhere. A burning sensation that enveloped her entire body and manifested in chasing him around the little apartment with a frying pan. Productive.

Ruby stopped by later in the day for a quicker than usual visit, but other than that, no-one visited or spoke to Emma. It took her longer than it should have to remember the number she'd kept close since the moment she got it. When Killian fell back asleep, snoring like a lion on her couch, Emma pulled out her phone and messaged Regina. 

————-

 

‘ _Hope you had a good day at work. Sorry I didn’t text earlier. Kinda forgot I could text you now lol. Anyway, GN Gina.’_

**_‘_ Good to know you’re alive ‘Swan’. GN to you too.’**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can't wait to delve deeper into Killian's character and his future with Emma and the rest of the gang.


	4. Burned Out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emma is unknowingly at the end of her rope and tragedy strikes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's a tiny disclaimer before you read: I'm not a medial professional nor am I a psychologist but I'm doing my best to do as much research as possible before delving into the more sensitive topics of this story. If anything comes off as offensive or anything like that please let me know! That is the last thing I'm trying to do here. Anyway, I hope you enjoy!

Killian had been at Emma’s for two weeks when Henry appeared at the front door.Since his arrival, Emma found herself spending most of  nights out monitoring his bar hopping and making sure he had someone to walk him home. It was a tedious existence. Emma had hated bars since her first deployment and the hatred had only grown worse as of late. (Needless to say, spending her days cooped up in an apartment with an alcoholic with the bare minimum of alcohol and nights in crowded bars watching him stick his tongue down men and women’s throats wasn’t fun or healthy in the slightest. But she felt responsible for him. A tiny part of Emma _wanted_ to care for Killian—It was familiar. Their dynamic was one of the only things left unchanged between them ,to a certain degree, after everything and she craved the familiar pattern of it—despite how hard and draining it was.) 

So, when Henry appeared at her front door with a bag of McDonald’s pancakes she was ecstatic. His face was healing well. The bruises weren’t as nauseating now. He held the bag up in offering.

Emma took it. “What’s all this for kid? You barely know me.”

“Yeah, but my boss likes you and you live in the attic above my workplace. I feel like I know you.” He replied in a dry tone. Emma had to snort.

“Thanks. I was just about to make some hot chocolate. You want some?” He looked at her and behind her into the apartment with a wary gaze. “How about we split the pancakes and hot chocolate on the step? The shop isn’t open yet is it?”

Henry shook his head. “Sounds alright with me I guess. I’ll stay here while you get the goods.” Emma nodded with a small smile and went to get it.

She knew she was an anomaly to most of the staff. They only saw her when she came to go out with Regina. And even then they rarely spoke. But Emma felt a certain amount of fascination towards them. They saw Regina daily and worked right under her. It was a curiosity they hadn’t managed to interact more yet.

Emma came back with two huge mugs of hot milk and packs of hot chocolate. “I knew you wouldn’t want me makin’ it for you.” She explained as she set the biggest mug beside Henry.

He smiled. “Smart.”

They ate in silence and regarded each other with wariness and a degree of fascination. When the pancakes were devoured and the hot chocolate sipped, Henry spoke.

“You’re making her sad.” He stated. He even went as far as to glare at her just a tiny bit. A glare that had Regina written all over it. 

 “Who?”

“Regina. She’s sad because you’ve gone AWOL. Graham wants to knock your lights out.”

Guilt ate at Emma’s belly. She hadn’t meant to neglect Regina and Graham but with her new two full times jobs—watching Killian during the day and during the night—even with Regina's phone number she found she didn’t have the energy for a good conversation or company during the times Killian was passed out. “Can you tell her I’m sorry?”

Henry sipped the last dregs of hot chocolate powder from his mug and placed it back on the step. “You can tell her yourself.” He stood and rearranged his uniform. He turned to say something else but whatever it was was muddled under the sound of Killian ripping the door open and yelling for Emma. 

Killian almost tripped over her. “Swanny! There you are. I was lookin’ all over for you!! I need breakfast.”

“You can make it yourself. I was in the middle of something.” Emma growled, looking back at Henry. He was stark white. His hazel eyes wide and afraid as he stared at Killian. “Henry?” She reached out to steady him, but he flinched away from her. Henry barely registered Emma’s presence as he let out a wheezed breath and tripped back down the stairs at a record pace. 

“What the hell was that about?” Killian asked, scratching his ass. Emma sighed and scrubbed a hand over her face. She wanted to strangle that man. 

“I don’t know. What I do know though is that you need a shower. You reek of booze _again_. Get in while I make some scrambled eggs and bacon.”

 

 

———————

 

 

“She looked miserable.” Henry relayed. He moved around the kitchen cleaning in a frenzied manner as he always did when he was nervous. It was the last shift of the day, both Regina and Henry worked as slowly as possible to savor the conversation. Henry had gone up to the apartment of his own volition that morning but went in with the subconscious knowledge that he was gonna tell Regina everything.

So he did. He told her about how lifeless Emma looked. How tired she looked. How she reached out to him and sat and had breakfast with him as casually as she would any friend—despite the fact that they really barely knew each other. (She didn’t seem like the type to do something like that) He told Regina about Killian and his demands and the booze that filtered from behind the closed door. His voice shook but he pushed on. It made Regina sick to think of Emma cooped up in the apartment like that. Like she had been the first few days she’d been there. Isolated, lonely but not alone, depressed. They had been working away from that. They even exchanged phone numbers!

Regina paced back and forth, wincing at the squeaking of her sneakers against the kitchen tile and the pain in her chest when she breathed too hard.

“Maybe I should go up there.” Regina mumbled.

“You should so go up there.”

“I thought you’d be trying to talk me out of it.”

“Naw. I think you and Emma need each other. And Emma secluding herself in an effort to keep her friend in check isn’t healthy. Therefore, you should go up there. Make up some excuse to get her to come out and convince her to make him leave.” He looked up from the broom. His eyes pleading for her to just listen. He didn’t know much about Emma, but he knew enough from what he’d overheard from Graham and Regina to tell that she was as decent as decent could get. And decent people didn’t deserve to be locked in toxic friendships with drunk assholes.

“Maybe you’re right. I mean, I can figure something out right. Emma and I are friends." Henry and Graham had speculated though, that the pair were much more than friends, though they wouldn't say anything until it was confirmed. "It wouldn’t hurt to try and get her out the house for a bit. Head home, I’ll lock up here.”

“Uh actually I was wondering if I could stay late today. I have exams coming up and I can’t really study at home. Too noisy.” He blushed and averted his eyes in shame. He hated asking for things like this. He felt it was so obvious what he was doing. But if it was , Regina had the grace not to say anything. Henry knew he didn’t need to lie. Regina had seen and so had Graham. It was pointless now, but it made him feel better about all of it when he could pretend it wasn’t happening.

Regina only nodded. “I'll be upstairs. If you need me, holler.” Henry nodded and watched as she turned the corner to go to the staircase. It took all his energy not to have a panic attack at the thought of Regina going anywhere near that man.

 

 

——————-

 

Emma was wrangling Killian up from the floor when someone knocked on the door. ( _Two in one day—That’s new.)_

She knew it had to be one of two people. Ruby and Dorothy avoided this place like the plague since Killian set foot inside. After the way Henry reacted to Killian’s presence this morning, Emma had a feeling she wouldn’t be seeing him for a while either. So that only left Graham and Regina.

Emma really hoped it was Regina. It had been forever since she’d last seen her and she’d missed her like crazy. Since Henry’s visit, she’d thought more about what her life had suddenly become. She’d fucked up all the progress she’d been making—all of it with Regina’s help—in a matter of weeks. Her friends were avoiding her. And the only person she had regular contact with was a drunk war veteran who wouldn’t stop trying to dance with her when she was awake. Needless to say, constant exposure to him didn’t breed the greatest of social etiquette. She needed to figure out a solution that would not only help her, but help Killian as well. He may be a big asshole, but he deserved better than to be a drunk for the his life.

“Who is it?” She questioned in a tone that bordered on harsh. Just in case it was some customer snooping.

“It’s me: the owner of this building, technically your landlord and your friend. Open up!” Regina called back. Emma snorted, and dropped Killian right where he lay to open the door for the beautiful brunette.

Ok, the sayings were true. Distance did make the heart grow fonder. Being away from Regina had bred a form of longing in Emma she hadn’t expected. She _should_ have expected it, considering the woman was her soulmate and all, but books could only tell you so much. And the ache between her shoulder blades, where words were written in neat, languid handwriting was different than what she'd expected. Not to mention the things they didn't tell you in those books all teenagers were forced to read in health class. Like, how much Emma would miss Regina’s smile and her laugh and the smell of her hair and every sappy romantic thing people have been writing about since the dawn of time.

If she took the time to think about it more, she would surely come to an unexpected yet totally forseeable conclusion. But she wouldn’t dare.

 _(She looks good_.) Emma thought. She blushed at her own thoughts and looked away. Regina did look good. The bags under her eyes were a little more pronounced, but she was looking otherwise incredibly healthy.

She smiled a bright smile at the sight of the blonde. “How are you Nolan?” She asked. 

“Well enough. Tired and sore but can’t complain too much.” Killian moaned in the background. He was trying to lift himself up off the ground, but the cocktail of too much alcohol, muscles that weren't as pronounced as they once were and lack of prosthetic hand were proving to be challenges. Emma swiftly closed the door behind her. 

“Is he ok?” Regina asked. She tried to pretend to be concerned, but it was clear she was anything but. 

“He’s…Killian. He’s as ok as he can be.”

Regina took a deep breath. She spoke in a rush of an exhale. “…This isn’t my place and I know that—stop me if I cross one too many lines—but are you really equipped to handle someone like him?”

“I don’t think anyone is equipped to handle him.” It was true. He’d confessed to her during some drunken rant that he’d been to his now former girlfriend Milah’s home first. After a few weeks she’d pawned him off to their mutual friend Smee, who handled him for barely three days before packing his stuff and shipping him off to the streets of some town on the outskirts of Massachusetts. He’d called Emma after living on the streets for two months. 

“Exactly my point.” She took a step closer. If it had been anyone else, Emma would have lashed out in the worst way—claustrophobia and general paranoia made being in close quarters with anyone a bigger deal than it had to be—but the rush of fear and the instinct to push wasn’t there. Any anxiety she felt was washed away under the perfume of lavender, vanilla and cinnamon. “You don’t deserve to be pinned under his problems. He’s your friend—I get it—but you have needs too. It’s been weeks since you stepped out of the house Em. That’s not healthy.” 

She wanted to snap back with some rude comment. Something to protect herself from the truth of Regina’s words. But she couldn’t find anything in her internal rolodex. 

“It’s not…but I don’t know what else do. I can’t just leave him! He could choke on his vomit and die or he could stumble out the apartment and fall down the stairs or—” 

“Come to my place tonight.” Regina interrupted. “Have dinner with me. Get away from him and everything and just…chill. We could put on a movie and eat some good food. Forget about your problems for a few hours. I'm sure Killian will be fine by himself for a few hours.”

She wanted to. Really. But she was afraid of the damage Killian could do when she left him alone. She was afraid of going someplace so intimate to Regina. A place Emma had never dreamed she’d be allowed to see. 

Her anxiety must have shown on her face. “You don’t have to if you don’t want to.” Regina assured. 

“No, I do! It’s just…I don’t want to comeback to your shop on fire or something.”

"You won't. I think he's too drunk to do much of anything really. Besides, if anything does go down Henry's downstairs studying. He'll be able to call us. Not to mention the owner of the pawnshop across the street owes me a favor. They'll both call me if anything happens.” She pulled her phone from her back pocket and showed Emma the contact. It was the pawnshop owner all right Mr. Gold.

Hearing of their involvement calmed some of Emma’s anxiety. The ones related to Killian and his habit of being a home wrecker (both in the physical and metaphorical sense). Henry was Henry—meaning he was the definition of trustworthy and responsible. Mr. Gold was a no-nonsense Scottish man with a cane that doubled as a weapon and the sharpest pair of eyes on the West Coast. A few days ago, he and Emma had met briefly when she’d been walking Killian home from another of his barhopping dates. He’d looked down at the man in pure disgust, but was nice enough not to extend the disgust to Emma. They’d struck up a short conversation in which Emma learned he too was a veteran. She trusted he would know when to call. 

She took a deep breath and her mouth propelled the words she wanted to say. 

“Sure.” 

Regina's smile was blinding and under its ray Emma lost herself for just a little while. Before she knew it, she was locking the door of the apartment and saying goodbye to Henry as they walked outside.

 

—————

 

They climbed into what Emma assumed to be Regina’s car—a sleek black Mercedes—though she'd never seen the brunette drive it.

“Did you bring this here just in case you managed to bribe me into coming with you?” Emma asked 

Regina chuckled stiffly. “I didn’t bring it. Graham did, but the intention behind it is still the same. I had a feeling you’d need a break eventually. And Henry’s report only confirmed my suspicions.”

Emma fake gasped. “You sent Henry after me?” She’d suspected Regina was involved.

“Not exactly. He did the investigative work first without my prompting and relayed what he learned to me afterwards. He was worried about me.”

“Why? And how did he think talking to me would help you?”

They slid into the car. Regina white knuckled the steering wheel, and took a deep breath. “I’ve been worried about you. Like, really worried. So worried in fact that it has been affecting my work performance. Everyone who works with me has seen the change in me—according to Graham anyway.”

“I’m sorry Regina.” She truly was. After feeling so alone, it was hard to remember sometimes that her actions, choices and reactions affected other people. She never meant to cause Regina to worry so much.

“It’s fine.” Regina gulped hard and white knuckled the steering wheel harder. 

Emma glanced worriedly down at her hands. “You ok?” 

“Yeah fine. Just—I’m fine. Give me a second. I don’t drive often.”

“You bike everywhere?!” Emma cried incredulously. Her tone was sharp and worried but it didn’t phase Regina. She was too focused on her shaking hand as it attempted to insert the key.

“Well yeah—It’s good for your health.”

“Where the hell is your apartment?”

“On the other side of town.”

“Regina! That’s fucking crazy!”

“I know! Ok! _I know_! I’ve tried driving by myself and it hasn’t ended well for me or anyone for that matter. So I stopped and usually catch a ride with Graham or Ruby or someone else or ride my bike. It’s embarrassing but it is what it is!” Her cheeks were flushed and tears were growing in the corners of her eyes. Guilt swelled in Emma’s chest. She was only succeeding in making Regina more and more upset.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you upset. Do you want me to drive? If you have a GPS on your phone I could take us to your apartment.”

Regina looked confused for a moment. Then recognition flickered and a tear trickled down her cheek. “Why didn’t I think of that? Fuck me. Yes, that would be much better. Thank you.”

They switched seats quickly and before long Emma was taking them out of the shopping center and out onto the roads that led to Regina’s apartment. Beside her, the woman was near silent. Staring out of the window with a blank expression, chewing on her thumb nail.

“Is this about that thing you refuse to tell me but seems to be a very important part of your life?” Emma asked. Regina nodded. “Do you want to talk about it?”

Regina huffed. “Not really but…It'd make sense to explain after my little breakdown. There isn’t much to talk about really. Two years ago my fiancé and I got into a really bad car accident. A drunk driver slammed into us on one of the backroads out of nowhere. Daniel died on impact...his head—fuck—it was in my lap for six hours." Regina's voice dropped to a horrified whisper. Her eyes widened and her breathing became the slightest bit uneven. "I nearly died but—no such luck. Some good samaritan heard my screaming and thankfully called the police just before my lungs gave out. The drunk driver is alive and well—lives in this town actually. I see him sometimes in the grocery store. Anyway, I uh haven't driven since. I avoid cars as often as I can but obviously I can't stay away from them my entire life. So most times I just close my eyes and count until I'm at my destination.”

Out of all the things Emma had expected, that surely wasn’t it. She imagined traumatic childhoods or a near death experience. But nothing so severe. Not a death so vivid Emma could almost feel the head in her lap as well. Tragic.

“Regina…that’s…That’s I don’t even have the words.”

“Most people don’t…It’s one of those things you hear about on TV and don’t think can happen to you…But you’d know about that.”

“I would but that doesn’t change the fact that you also went through something traumatic. It might help to talk about it with someone who can relate…If you need to talk…”

Regina snorted. “I should be the one saying that to you.” They sat in silence for a few moments as Emma navigated the streets. “I still go to my support group thing sometimes. Not as much as I used to since you came in town...I hadn’t exactly planned on sharing that just yet honestly. I didn’t want you to look at me any different. But I guess I forgot that you of all people would understand…Turn left here.” 

Emma turned left and pulled into a parking space closest to the door. Emma got out first, and helped Regina up from her seat. She was wobbly on her feet. Her breathing was shaky. Her eyes still glassy.

“Do you want to cancel? I can come back another time.” Emma knew all too well what this could lead to. She could understand if Regina wanted her gone. 

“No. I just need a minute. Please don’t go.” She grabbed at Emma’s hand and pulled her into the building. It was a snazzy place. The rent was high for sure but worth it based onto size of the indoor pool and the workout rooms. She couldn’t wait to see what the apartment looked like. The elevator was sleek and clean and played the most popular songs of the week. It was the perfect filler for the silence that came between them. Regina was still breathing in shaky exhales and hard inhales.

On Floor 4 Regina surrendered to whatever was in her head, leaning against Emma’s shoulder and staring blankly at the mirror that sat on the elevator wall.Emma was unsure of what to do. She wanted to reach out and comfort her soulmate, but she knew from experience that physical touch could sometimes be the worst possible thing in moments like these. So she tried to stay as still as possible, and keep her body as relaxed as she could.

By the time the elevator pulled up to the tenth floor, she was back to her old self mostly.

Her apartment was clean. Cleaner than Emma’s own even before Killian’s appearance. A mix of bohemian chic and what was considered trendy nowadays. A brown tabby sat on the couch, curled into a furry little ball. Its head popped up when the door closed behind them. It yawned and stretched before ambling over to them, purring at Regina’s feet. She chuckled.

“Good Evening Vincent.” 

“Vincent?” 

“Yes. I adopted him a year ago. He won’t respond to any other name.” He purred louder at the mention of his name, rubbing his little body up against Regina’s calf but pointedly ignoring Emma’s anything. “He’s not a fan of strangers.

“Had many strangers up in your house have you?” Regina blushed and Emma only laughed.

With great care, she helped deposit the brunette onto the gray couch. Instantly, Vincent was on her lap, purring and butting his head against Regina’s hands. Demanding attention.

“Is he always such as attention seeker?”

Regina laughed loudly. “No, only on my bad days. He’s doing this more to keep me grounded than for his own enjoyment.”

“Do you go away often?”

“More often than I’d like to. Apparently it’s a side effect of the accident. More often than not most nights —and the occasional afternoon—my body’s on earth but my mind is floating somewhere in the clouds. It's frustrating to say the least.”

“You know…if you feel like it’s gonna happen at work…you can come up to me…I can be a good listener.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.” Regina smiled a sweet smile. Vincent purred even louder, but sensing that his mother was in good hands walked off to find his bed. “Come on. Let’s get dinner started.”

They settled on simple spaghetti. Regina liked sauce from scratch, so while she labored over the stove Emma watched the noodles boil. All the while, they engaged in constant conversation. Some of it for Regina’s benefit—talking kept her grounded when she was in danger of floating away—and some for Emma’s—the constant talking made it easier for her to let loose. To remember that this was Regina. Her friend. The beautiful brunette that always managed to set her mind straight and help her find peace just with her presence. After dinner was prepared, a movie was chosen. Shrek was Emma’s pick (Bright colors and loud moving pictures seemed like a good bet to keep them both engaged long enough not to cause trouble)

They settled into the couch, unconsciously cuddling up to each other—shoulder to shoulder, Regina’s head resting on Emma’s shoulder—while Vincent found a spot on Regina’s lap. Though his head sometimes dipped onto Emma’s and each time without fail she would scratch behind his ears, earning the loudest of purrs. 

 

—————-

 

It was of no surprise to either women that they fell asleep together, their bowls still in their hands. But the blaring of a phone surprised them both awake. Emma looked around with fear, clutching Regina to her chest shielding her from whatever the threat was.

“It’s only the phone.” Regina mumbled from beside her. She wiped the drool off of the side of her face and the sleep out of her eyes before answering. When the haze of sleep dissipated Emma could finally make out ‘Wake Me Up’ in the style of the kazoo. 

“Hello? Yes, this is she. **_What?!_** ” Regina shot up from the couch, efficiently slipping on a pair of sneakers and her jacket from back of the couch. “How long?! Alright, thank you.” She hung up abruptly and for a moment floundered.

“What is it?” Emma followed behind the brunette, her eyes locking onto her face as she tried to decipher what the woman could have heard on the phone.

(Horrible images filled her mind: Henry running to the shop for safety from the person responsible for his bruises, finding no-one there and being shot on the doorstep because no-one was there to help. Killian falling out of the window in a drunken heap, landing too on the doorstep because she wasn’t there to stop him.)

“Apparently you’ve got a secret power Miss Nolan.” She grabbed her wallet and keys before turning and facing Emma. Her eyes were blazing but the anger within them wasn’t directed at Emma. “ That was Gold. There’s a fire in the shop. It started on the top floor.”

Emma’s eyes widened and her mouth opened to ask more but Regina shut her down with a look. She passed her the keys and moved down the stairs. She was right to assume Emma would follow her immediately. Emma strapped in and turned the car on and was on he way out of the complex when Regina spoke.

“Killian’s fine.” (She sounded slightly disappointed by that fact) “But I don’t know how much of the shop is. The call was from Mr.Gold. He said he saw what he described as ‘ _that blonde woman’s drunk man’_ come out of the building coughing and sputtering covered in soot. He tried to talk to him but Killian tried to punch him so he backed off. As far as he can tell the shop isn’t engulfed in flames, but I have no doubt that parts of the upstairs and possibly the storage room will be obliterated.”

Emma clenched her teeth and gripped the steering wheel hard. “Fuck…fuck…FUCK!” Her fist slammed down on the rim of the wheel. “I can’t believe him. That stupid fucker! I can’t believe I thought he would—why did I—fuck me! Fuck him! Fucking just—” She growled so hard her throat hurt. “Fuucck!”

“Emma, please. Calm down. Take this anger out on him when you see him. Not now!” Her voice was only just above a whisper but panicked. Her eyes wide with fear as she watched Emma struggle not to swerve on the road. She was paying too close attention to Regina’s unexpected reaction and suddenly her hand slipped on the wheel. Pulling it to one side for a split second. Regina let out a small scream. She gripped Emma’s arm with all her might.Her reaction caused Emma to panic, swerving in an effort to get away from the growing traffic and somewhere docile where they both could think. But the action only made Regina’s fear worse. Tears streamed down her face and her chest heaved with the forced of a thousand breaths. Finally Emma managed to pull onto the grass. She stopped the car with a whoosh of air.

She only took a second, before Regina’s labored breaths and quiet sobs called to her.

“I’m so sorry Regina! I wasn’t thinking I just acted like a fucking shithead and I should have thought about what you were feeling when I swerved like that I’m sorry.” She bent over to face the brunette. Regina’s eyes were still wide and terrified, though they were clear now to Emma’s surprise. She was shaking harder than she had earlier in the night, and her breathing was slowing with every quiet moment she realized they weren’t being plummeted to their doom.

She inhaled one deep breath. 

“It’s fine.”

“Don’t lie Regina! You’re not fine! What I did wasn’t fine! _None of this is fine_!”

“But dwelling on that fact isn’t going to help! I accept your apology. You were distressed and my distress didn’t help yours. I get it. We can focus more on it later when my coffee shop isn’t burning down.”

She was right. Reluctantly Emma started the car back up and headed to the shop. The tension between them lasted until they came pulled in near the shop. It was late in the night. The moon was high in the sky, but its light could barely be seen over the lights of the emergency vehicles and observing cars. A firetruck was parked in front of the shop. Firefighters ran in and out, fixing what they could and yelling orders that no-one understood. Graham was already there, holding Henry as he sat covered in a blanket in the back of an ambulance. Regina and Emma ran to them. 

"Are you alright?!" Regina almost yelled. Henry nodded, but the movement caused him to let out hard, painful coughs. "Were you in there when it was on fire?!" 

He sheepishly nodded again. "It wasn't as bad as it seems. I was studying for my Calculus test when I smelled smoke. I tried to help Killian get out but when I got the door open he pushed past me and nearly pushed me down the stairs. The upstairs was completely gone. All I could see was fire. So I ran and found Mr. Gold. It took me a minute, because the exit out of the storage room was blocked with debris and the front door jammed but I made it—obviously. Then he called you and I called Graham." 

They were all stunned to silence as they listened to Henry's words. All of them were brewing with rage, but fear crept up just behind it. So many unanswered questions still lingered, but they were pushed to the side as Regina pulled Henry into her arms. Graham rubbed her back as well as reaching for Emma's hand. Emma squeezed it, and tried to hold back her tears as she watched the destruction unfold.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading. Have a good weekend!


	5. Tired of Rebuilding

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The aftermath of the fire.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm super nervous about this one. I wanted to edit it more but I got super busy these past few days out of nowhere and I didn't get the chance. I hope everyone had a nice weekend and enjoys this!

 

The fire was recorded as an accident. No arson detected—thank fuck—but the damage to the shop was extensive. Extensive enough to prevent anyone from being able to live in it or be inside of it for a while. (The firefighters had done their best, but they could only do so much.) Which left Emma without a place to stay, Regina with a bill about a mile high and the shop with a serious blow to the steady stream of customers they’d acquired over the past few months. They’d need to be closed for repairs as soon as possible and the work would take months. 

Regina wanted to scream. As a matter of fact she was going to scream—into her pillow the second she got back to her apartment. But that was hours away. What with all of the papers she had to sign off on for the repairs and the people she had to call and let know they were temporarily out of a job. It was all a big mess. One that could have easily been avoided  had she listened to her common sense. There was no way it was going to end well—Killian being in the apartment with Emma. He was a reckless, thoughtless piece of shit who was bound to cause serious damage to someone at some point or another. It was a miracle that Emma had been awake and away when he’d caused the fire—accident or not. 

Speaking of the possible-arsonist. As of two minutes before the firemen arrived, Killian Jones was nowhere to be found. He was M.I.A. Gone AWOL. Fuck! Regina was going to beat his ass the next time she saw him. If Emma didn’t do it first.

She paced back and forth in Regina’s office. One of the only places left in The Forbidden Fruit untouched by the flames. The backroom, the apartment of course, as well as parts of the storage room were all charred. Inventory was obliterated. Half of the inside shop was nothing but ash. But the structural integrity was still sound, so it could be salvaged. Eventually. 

“I’ll kill that son of a bitch. I’ll kill him!” She growled.

“We don’t know he did this on purpose Emma. And even if he did, that doesn’t give you the right to kill him. No judge will ever acquit you with that reasoning.” Regina replied.

“It’s not about whether or not he did it on purpose ‘Gina! It’s about the fact that he did it at all! Him being drunk isn’t an excuse for almost burning down your coffeeshop! You! My friend, my soulmate and nice lady who let both of us stay in above her business out of the kindness of her heart!”

Regina looked up from her papers. “I don't blame you for what he did. So try not to blame yourself. You know I'm not going to hold any of this against you right?”

“I know.” Emma plopped down on a chair with a sigh. “That’s my problem. I would have felt like you refusing to have anything to do with me was my punishment for going against my gut and letting him stay with me. But now you won’t do anything and I’ll be carrying the guilt around for the rest of eternity.” The guilt was already weighing on her shoulders. Gnawing at her belly. Emma might as well change her name to Atlas now. 

Regina sighed. “I’m not going to make up a punishment Emma. You didn’t do anything that warranted punishment.”

“How about I do something for you as a way to pay you back? Even if you think I'm not to blame here, it'd make me feel better to do something for you. Maybe drive you to and from work or clean the shop after hours.” Regina was too tired to argue. So she nodded her head and watched as Emma lit up like a Christmas tree. Her light dimmed when a knock sounded at the door.

"Who is it?” Regina asked, her voice holding the tiniest bit of confusion. She hadn't expected to be getting any visitors anytime soon. Graham and Henry were out, and no-one else knew that she was here. So who the hell was at her office door? 

“It’s us.” A familiar voice called out. Regina's heart dropped to her stomach. She knew that voice. Despite her lack of response, the door opened revealing a trio of pajama clad women, all of whom were scowling. They were a sight to behold.Katherine led the group, standing with her hands on her hip, her golden blonde hair pulled up into a messy bun and her face covered in what looked like a clay face mask. Ruby was behind her, clutching Dorothy's hand. Emma and Regina shot up from their chairs. Their eyes widened in fear. Regina gulped. She had planned on calling all of them later in the day—as it was 2 a.m now—but someone must have beaten her to the punch. She had a sneaking suspicion it was either Graham or Henry— both of who, had disappeared a few minutes later on what was supposed to be a McDonald’s Run. ( _McDonalds run my ass. They were snitching.)_ She wasn't sure how to feel exactly, about the presence of her closest friends—Katherine specifically.  Despite her blonde bombshell appearance, she was a cutthroat attorney with a sharp tongue and a fierce attitude. There was no doubt in Regina's mind that she would rip her a new one for letting Killian into her apartment. 

“I can explain.” Regina began.  

Katherine growled. “Regina Maria Mills—I have half a mind to murder you!”  Regina opened her mouth to speak, but Katherine cut her off with a sharp motion of her hand. " Do you know how terrified I was when I got a call from Graham letting me know your beloved coffeeshop was up in flames?! He only told me that—nothing else! I didn't know if you were in there, or if you even knew it was on fire so I booked it here as fast as I could only to run into Ruby and Dorothy. Who also had no idea what was going on! Why the hell didn’t you call us the second you got here?” Katherine snapped as she stalked over, not even giving Regina a chance to respond. She dropped her Chanel purse onto the chair Emma had been sitting in and made her way behind the desk to pull Regina into a bear hug.

“How are you feeling?” She quietly asked. She lifted a manicured hand to the back of Regina’s head, cradling it and pushing it to rest on her chest.

Regina sighed and relaxed. Katherine had a way of calming her racing mind when she needed it most. “I’m good enough.” Regina replied (her words were smothered by Katherine’s silk sleep shirt, but the woman was showing no signs of letting go anytime soon.) “Just anxious to get everything back up and running before we lose a good deal of both customers and inventory. I had planned on calling you at a decent hour to see if you could help.”

“You should have called me the second you could. You know damn well I don’t sleep on weekdays.”

Regina snorted. “You’re right Kat—I’m sorry.” 

"I'll call in every favor I have to get this place back up and running as soon as possible." Katherine promised. 

Ruby took a step forward, as did Dorothy. Ruby seemed to be holding back. Her frame was tense and her jaw was clenched. She looked as though she was conflicted as to whether or not she should punch or hug Emma.Dorothy answered for her. She rushed forward, and pulled Emma into a hug.“We’re so happy you’re ok." She said. Her voice was choked up and it made Emma's eyes misty. "When Graham called I thought—” She let out a shaky breath and squeezed tighter. Emma squeezed back. 

“I’m sorry.” 

Two sets of rushed footsteps echoed outside the room. Henry appeared first, then Graham—much to surprise of everyone in the room, Graham looked to be more panicked than Henry. He looked over at Regina and winced. 

“I tried to stop her. I tried to stop them all from coming before I had the chance to tell you I told them. I did. But she’s—"

“Katherine Midas—I know. If she wanted to come in here and rip me a new ass she would no matter what you had to say.”

“I’m glad you all realized that.” Katherine commented with a chuckle. She squeezed Regina a bit tighter.

“How are you fairing Emma?” Graham asked. 

“I'm angry. Tired. Frustrated. But I’ll live.” She pulled back from Dorothy’s hug and looked over her shoulder. She and Ruby locked eyes. “I’m gonna need to sleep for a week though.”

“So will I. Once I get everything sorted out we can head to my apartment. I have a guest room you can stay in as long as you need.” Regina offered, finally pulling herself up from Katherine’s hug. The older woman gave a whine of distress but let her go.

Emma looked shocked. “I didn’t—when—why would you offer that? Not that I’m not grateful—I am really _truly_ —but it’s just unexpected. I didn’t think you’d want me sleeping in your guest room.” 

Regina sighed. “For the last time Emma: none of this is your fault. It was all that scumbag Captain Guyliner. You’re my friend. Why the hell would I not want you to stay in my guest room?”

An awkward silence fell over the room for a few moments. With Emma still reeling from Regina's offer and the others unsure of what to do, it lasted for longer than it should have. But Dorothy came to the rescue once again, and cleared her throat. "Uh, If you let me have a look at a few of the reports, I could probably offer some assistance. Maybe even call in a few favors to help speed up the process."

Regina sighed in relief and smiled a small but still tense smile. "That would be amazing Dorothy—Thanks." 

With Dorothy's entrepreneurial expertise—she was a successful self made business woman who'd given Regina advice many times before—and Katherine's understanding of legal terminology, the women quickly divulged into plan making. When they were distracted, and Henry and Graham weren't looking, Ruby took Emma by the wrist and pulled her out into the hallway. 

 

—————

 

'What the hell?!" Emma cried as Ruby closed the door behind them.

"This isn't your fault." Ruby stated. Emma yanked her wrist away from Ruby's hand, and glared at the brunette. How dare she lie? Regina couldn't see it, but Emma knew damn well that this was all her fault. Killian being here was her fault—if she hadn't said yes he probably would have found out where she lived regardless but still—therefore this whole ordeal was her fault. Regina's pride and joy was most likely damaged beyond repair because she let Killian in. And Emma felt that there was nothing she could do to fix what she'd inadvertently created.  She wanted desperately to fix things but there was no way she could rebuild the shop with her bare hands like she wanted to.

"Yes it is! We both know it is!" Emma growled. 

"I know you think it is Em. But it's not. He's the one that did this. Not you. I know you think because you let him in it's your fault but it's not. And I won't let you drown in this unnecessary amount of guilt. You've gone through enough these past couple of months, you don't need this on your conscience too."  Ruby crossed her arms over her chest and glared. Emma glared right back at her, though her resolve was staring to crumble. Ruby was as stubborn as a mule and when she put her foot down in an effort to keep Emma from the self hatred and self destruction for the sake of others that was so intrinsic in her now—though Ruby had only had to do it once before. Emma shuddered at the memory.—there was no way Emma'd come out on top. Besides, she was too tired and too emotionally drained to keep up the facade for too long. 

So, she let it crumble with a small sob. And let herself fall into Ruby's arms where she sobbed out all her anger and frustration.  

—————

 

After signing off on the last bit of paperwork, sharing a few burgers and greasy fries, and calling in the last favor, Graham helped a fatigued Regina and guilty Emma back to the apartment. Henry returned to his house reluctantly but promised to keep himself available for any and everything they might need. Katherine, Ruby and Dorothy left as well, and with plans to help and a demand to check in at least once a day from now on. 

It was exhausting to just think about all the things that had happened in the past 24 hours. Stressful thoughts floated around her mind, bouncing off the sides and making it terribly difficult to concentrate. The most prominent of which being the plan she had to murder Killian Jones. Her cry session with Ruby had helped stave off the guilt a little bit, but her anger was still al consuming. Emma had explained to him time and time again that using anything that required any electricity was a bad idea when he drank more than one bottle and had spent hours painstakingly Killian proofing the apartment as best as she could. And yet, Killian and his conniving covert ass managed to set it on fire the first night she left for more than ten minutes. And then on top of all fo that, he ran away from the scene of the crime. That bastard.

“Emma?” Graham called to her.

“Huh?”

“Regina’s gone to her room. She could barely stand so I told her I’d get you settled. You want a tour?”

Emma looked quickly around the apartment. It was interesting, how in the space of maybe two hours she went form having a possibly probably not but totally awesome kinda date with Regina in her apartment for the first time, to having to sleep in her guest bedroom because her own apartment was a pile of ash. Regina hadn’t even gotten the chance to show Emma where the bathroom was. They were that informal.

(Between all of her thoughts she praised God that she wasn’t the sentimental type, and that the clothes she’d kept in the apartment were only necessities. Nothing from home that she’d have had a conniption over losing.)

“I guess yeah. Lead the way.”

And he did. With a surprising lack of grace. You’d think that since the man had lived on the couch some undetermined amount of years ago, he’d know his way around a bit. But Graham was clunky where he should have been steady. For example, shakily making his way towards a door and looking both surprised and grateful to see that it was the room he’d intended to look for, the bathroom.They made it to the guest bedroom. It was small, but not tiny. The bedsheets were a light jade green, and the walls were a gold-toned ivory. Accents of golds and burnt orange were all around. It was a cozy space. One Emma could definitely see her self becoming comfortable in. _(Not for long)_ she reminded herself. ( _This arrangement’s only temporary.)_

Graham, after seeing that Emma knew the basics of the house, lingered unsurely.

“Uh, my number’s on the fridge—sometimes when it gets bad Regina forgets—if anything happens, call me ok?” She nods and he turns to leave, but Emma’s hand on his shoulder stops him. 

“Didn’t you live on the couch at a certain point?” She asked in an abrupt manner. She hadn’t meant for it to come out so abruptly but it was too late to take it back now.

“Oh! No! Regina used to live in the apartment above the shop. She moved after the accident. When we hangout it's usually at my place so, I don't get to come here often”

“Oh.” That made much more sense, though outside of the revelation it filled Emma with sadness. She could understand why Regina left. She’d lost many a loved one overseas over the years, and there was always a hole left in the spaces they occupied. To this day, the people she met on her first deployment—even if for only a few minutes—floated in her mind from time to time. Regina had known Daniel presumably for years. And to lose him so suddenly and so violently had to have been hard on her. “I get it now. Thanks for everything.” He nodded and left. Emma listened out for the sound of his echoing footsteps down the hall.

When the door closed and Graham locked the door behind him with a set of keys, Emma slumped down onto the couch. She was beyond exhausted. At the same time though, she most certainly didn’t want to fall asleep. So she turned on the tv to some mindless cooking show and tried to stay awake long enough for her thoughts to calm. For the potential of danger to go down. She failed. Within two hours she was knocked out, drooling onto Regina’s cream couch clutching one of her printed pillows. 

 

\---------

 

Hours later, she woke to a heavy weight on her chest and someone or something hitting her face. She popped her eyes open to meet Vincent’s big yellow ones. He sat on her chest, batting insistently at her face. When he realized he had her attention, he meowed louder this time. Biting her wrist with his sharp teeth and pulling at her.

“What the hell do you want? Where’s your mom huh?” She asked groggily. He meowed loud in response, and gripped her wrist in his mouth again. Emma groaned and sat upright slowly then made her way over to the kitchen where she’d seen the cat food bowl before. It had one of those timer things that help push the food out at proper times when no-one was home, so the moment she stepped into the neat kitchen it filled his bowl.

“You woke me up for that? Seriously?” He looked up at her with annoyance in his golden eyes then took her pant leg in his mouth and pulled again. She followed him this time, let him pull her closer and closer to his destination. They stopped outside Regina’s door. The cat raced inside, the door creaked ominously open. Emma called out for the room’s owner. Vincent responded. But no Regina.

 _(She’s probably just at work early for the pastries.)_ Emma thought, though a steely voice in the back of her head countered that thought easily. [ **What if she’s still here? What if she’s injured or hurting or dying? Are you just going to leave her there like the others?]**

Emma burst in.Regina’s was laid on her side, her back to the door. Vincent was pacing back and forth behind her, occasionally scratching at her back and meowing insistently. Emma moved cautiously towards Regina.

“Regina? Are you awake?”

The woman did not respond.

“Regina?” She asked again louder. No response. Emma walked to the front of the bed to look at the woman’s face and to her surprise found her amber eyes wide open. A little too wide. “Shit.” Those too wide amber eyes were vacant. No life in them whatsoever. Emma took a few steps back. In her experience, any type of contact with a person so far dissociated could go left fast. Despite the brief talk they’d had yesterday evening, Emma for sure didn’t feel qualified enough to handle Regina like this. So she did the only thing she could think to do.

Snag Regina phone from the beside table and hope she didn’t have a passcode. Unfortunately, she did but fortunately Graham had already tried to call twice. Emma called him back.

“ _Hello?_ ” 

“She’s gone Graham!”

“ _Emma? What are you talking about? Where’s Regina?_ ”

“She’s right here but she’s not really here she’s dissociated completely. I don’t know what to do! I don’t want to hurt her but I don’t want to leave her like this too long because she might not come back and what if I—"

“Take a deep breath Emma.” She did audibly. “Sit beside Regina but don’t touch her. Talk to her quietly. Say her name a lot but don’t ask questions and  if she starts to close her eyes say something loud but not too loud. Too loud and you’ll scare her and she’ll retreat further.” There was rustling noises and Graham's voice distantly telling someone he had to go. “I’m on my way. Just try to stay calm Emma. I know you’re probably freaking out but if you breakdown she’ll feel it and take it and won’t be back for God knows how long. Ok?”

She nodded and swallowed thickly, but when realizing he couldn’t see her, she spoke. “Yeah…Hurry please.” She could already feel the anxiety clawing up her spine. Her vision was blurry but she forced it as focused as it could be for now.

“I”m already in the car.” A door slammed shut. “I have to hang up now but I’ll be there in less than ten minutes.” He hung up and Emma wanted to cry.

Vincent cuddled up against Regina’s chest and even though she did not move, he purred for her. ( _Come on Swan. If a cat can comfort her you—a trained United States soldier—can.)_

“I’ve always been really bad with stories, but…I guess I can try for you Regina. I always liked your name—Regina. So regal. And you don’t hear it often anymore—at least not with women who look like they belong with the name like you do…Did I ever tell you about the time I got food poisoning from month old mayo trying to make a hangover remedy?” And she told her. In great, tedious detail of the time she was too stupid to care about month old mayo and how she put it in a blender with eggs and hot sauce and nearly died. By the time she got to the part about volcano vomiting on Ruby and almost drowning her dog Toto, there was a knock on the door. “I’ll be back Regina…I shouldn’t say stay put but..you get the idea.” She shot up from the bed and ran to the door ripping itopen.

“You look well enough." Graham commented.

“I’m pretty sure I’ll be locking myself in the bathroom by the time this is all over—just a bit of warning. I did what you told me but she doesn’t look to be much better.”

Graham sighed. “That’s because sometimes when its really bad we have to wake her up ourselves—or I usually would by myself and I can if you don’t want to.”

“I wanna help anyway I can.”

He looked warily at her. “Is your PTSD triggered by violence?”

“You mean like..violence inflicted on me.” He nodded. She frowned. “Depends on the degree some days…Why?”

“Regina’s going to come up swinging the second one of touches her. For some reason Vincent doesn’t phase her—and on very rare occasions can be the one to bring her back—but most days a single hand brushing her bare arm will put her into a fit. Her body goes on autopilot and tries to fight off whoever touches her when she’s this vulnerable…I just need to know you’ll be ok when she goes off.”

Emma swallowed hard. And focussed on the things she remembered most about Regina. The lavender scent of her hair. The softness of her skin. The color of her eyes. The basics. Things easily recognizable and easily spottable when she started to fight. “I’ll be fine…By any chance…did that happen the night of the accident?”

Graham rolled his long sleeves up to his elbows and nodded. “She took out the eye of one of officers that found her. That was with a few broken ribs, a concussion and a crushed lung. All she had on her was a shard of glass from the broken window. It sounds fake but…well you’ll see. If you feel yourself starting to lose control feel free to leave. Don’t jeopardize yourself just to help her.”

“I’ll be fine. Come on.”

Regina hadn’t moved since Emma found her but Vincent had. He moved closer to her face, purring like a little lawn mower as he drenched her face in kisses. Graham gently batted him away and the cat seemed to know that help had come. So he stayed away. Hid under the bed and tucked himself into a loaf.

“It’ll start off small then all of a sudden get really really bad ok? Just try to keep her calm and tire her out then she’ll start waking up.” Emma nodded and fell into a defensive position. She was afraid. Very afraid actually. Despite her assurances to both herself and Graham there was still a twinge of doubt when she tried to imagine a violent Regina. Would she react violently? Would she be triggered so badly she’d lash out at Regina and possibly even Graham?

She didn’t want that to happen and she vowed to try her best to keep the thoughts and memories at bay. But nothing is guaranteed. Graham counted off:

“1..2…3.” He reached down and pressed a gentle hand to Regina’s arm. She whimpered. “You’re alright Regina. You’re safe I swear. Come back Regina. ”

She whimpered again and her arm twitched against him. Her eyes still held no expression. He rubbed his hand up and down her arm. “Come on Regina. You can do it. I know you can. Take a deepbreath for me.” She tried to follow his instruction but it got caught in her throat and came out as a whine. “That’s a good effort darling. Good job. Try again for me Regina. Come on.”

She tried again, but as she exhaled it was like a switch had been flipped. Her eyes filled with absolute terror and she flipped onto her back to kick and scratch at Graham with ferocity. It was shocking. The sheer amount of brutality such a small woman was capable of. Graham had experience, so he dodged as best as he could, but she still managed to land a few hits. Emma raced over and tried to hold her down with him. She bucked harder. When Graham caught his bearings after the last punch, he held her arm down. Regina screamed then, a loud terrified scream. It pierced the silent room and Emma’s heart.

She’d heard screams like those before. She’d screamed them before herself—almost every night—and she hated seeing that same amount of terror on Regina’s face. Hated having to hear it. But she pushed through the pain of hearing them and held as gently and firmly as she could. They both did.

Fifteen minutes.

It took fifteen full minutes before Regina managed to break free of her dissociation and come back down to earth. She let out a heavy breath and slumped against the bed, her eyes still wide but no longer terrified. They were back to vacant and at the feeling of their touch she whimpered again. Graham released her and Emma followed his lead.

“Regina?” He asked, cupping her cheek and turning her gaze to him. She whimpered in response again.

“Hey Regina.” Emma tried. “You’re safe. It’s just us.” She reached out and held Regina’s shaking hand.

The brunette turned her head then to look at Emma. She whimpered one last time then let out a sob.  Followed by several others. All raw and ugly and hurtful and grounded. She shook harder and buried her face in Emma’s shoulder as she clutched her hand. 

“I’m sorry.” She managed to whine in between them. She kept repeating those words as she sobbed. And even after she’d exhausted herself she murmured it into the tear-stained and sweat soaked pillow beneath her head.

 

 

—————-

 

That night Graham and Emma stayed in Regina’s bed, curled around either side of her.Vincent sat on Graham's head, but kept at least one paw on his mother at all times.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Have a good rest of your day!


	6. Rejuvenate

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is super short compared to the others. It's more of a transition/interlude I guess. A break from all the craziness. Things will be calm for a little while starting with the next one. Thank you all for reading, hope you have a good weekend!

Emma woke to the sweet smell of cinnamon and brown sugar. She turned over onto her side and quietly groaned.  She wanted nothing more than to stuff her face back in her pillow and fall head first into a deep sleep. Her body ached from head to toe as a result of the intense workout she’d done earlier. (She spent an hour pummeling a punching bag whilst imagining Killian’s face on. Her knuckles hurt like hell. ) If she didn’t get up on her own, Regina would surely bust in and force the dessert in her mouth. Not to mention her now insistent stomach wouldn't let her return to sleep after catching a whiff of the treats that awaited only a few feet away. 

With the shop down for the count for the next few months, Regina— with the help of Katherine and Dorothy—created a plan for the reopening that they all were beyond excited about. A plan that now forced Regina to create a whole new revamped menu for the shop, alongside old.The new and improved Forbidden Fruit would be equal parts bakery and coffeeshop. Hence why waking up to the smell of cinnamon and brown sugar was so familiar now. Regina had spent every day either in the kitchen whipping up some version of some recipe she’d seen on some baking show or binge watching the hundreds of baking shows on the Food Network for ideas. Each time she made something she deemed worthy, she’d find Emma and almost force her to eat whatever it was.

Not that Emma was complaining. Even the worst of the worst failed recipes tasted like heaven. She had to start going to the gym to compensate for the heaps of sugar she was now consuming. But she'd do what she had to to help Regina. 

Her mind made up, Emma threw the covers off, slipped a pair of black sweatpants over her bare legs then sluggishly made her way from the guest room turned her room. When she entered the kitchen, Regina’s back was to her. On a stool just beside the kitchen island sat Vincent. When she came close, he looked up and meowed at her, stretching from his little loaf position and hopping down to rub against her legs. Over the two weeks Emma had been living with Regina, she and Vincent had grown closer. Through their shared concern for Regina and their love for all things cheesy (both movies and food), they found common ground. Though the little creature wouldn’t let Emma pet him for long, the few minutes she got were a pleasure. 

They both watched Regina flitter back and forth in the kitchen, plating something and distractedly setting it on the island behind her. Where three other plates of items sat. Some covered, others still cooling. The source of the glorious cinnamon and brown sugar scent that’d woken Emma was a plate of muffins. Emma licked her lips. They looked delicious. 

“Will you smack my hands with a spatula if I try to get a taste?” Emma asked. Regina jumped in fright. Her eyes wide as she stared and on instinct dropped the bowl to grab for a weapon. The closest item was a whisk. Had Emma not trained for more than half of her life the large bowl of just started batter would have been on the floor. But with a speed she had only recently reacquired, Emma launched across the island and caught the bowl with one hand.

She gave Regina a sheepish smile. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to scare you. Just wanted to see what you were doing. And if I could get a piece…or six.” She placed the bowl on the island.

Regina let out a breath and chuckled. “It’s fine. I was just in the zone you know? I finally got an idea of what I wanted to do for a specialty croissant! I’ve been racking my brain for the past two days on how to do this. Now it’s finally working. Try it!” She took a warm croissant off a plate then held it up to Emma’s mouth. Without hesitation, the blonde reached out and took a bite. It took a few seconds for her brain to process the mind melting ,amazing flavors but once she got a hold of them she moaned out loud.

“Fuck that’s good! It’s like…” She snapped her fingers and let her hands move in random gestures as she tried to decipher what it is she was tasting. She didn’t notice Regina watching her with a fond smile. “I can’t place it but it tastes familiar! Like thanksgivings and birthdays and home and everything good in the world. What the hell was it?” Emma questioned.

Regina smirked at her and took a bite herself. Her cheeks were the tiniest bit flushed. “Apple pie. It’s a regular croissant covered in a brown sugar cinnamon glaze. Little pockets of apple pie filling have been folded in alongside the regular butter. What do you think?” 

“It’s amazing! How long did it take you to make?”

Regina’s blush darkened. She averted her eyes. “Well…here’s the thing. I messed up the first time and then the next three times. It took me all day to roll out the dough properly and get all the butter put in without it melting so…” She used her fingers to count. “Maybe a day and a half.” 

Emma’s eyebrows hit the ceiling. “I’m sorry what?’ 

"A day and a half maybe. Give or take a few hours. It was worth it though. Now that I know what to do it’ll be easier to replicate in the future. I only need a few specialty items for the menu—keeping standard cafe and bakery goods will only get us so far—so one down. Five more to go.” 

“You’re not planning on actually trying to start anything else tonight are you?” Emma tried to ask, but Regina was already on the move. Returning to the bowl of batter she’d started and adding what looked like a teaspoon of vanilla extract. Emma knew she’d heard her. So, her lack of response was its own answer.

It was then that Emma finally noticed them. The dark circles under Regina’s eyes. The twitch under her right eye and the paleness of her skin. She didn’t look bad—yet. But she would soon.If Emma hadn't come out here tonight, she was certain Regina would have continued on the path of self destruction and ended up face first in a bowl of batter by the end of the week. Emma’s stomach turned.  ( _How could I have missed this? Was I so wrapped up in my own guilt that I truly didn’t notice how often she went without sleep_?) **[Yep.** **You did. And now she’s hurting because you’re such a selfish asshat. You’re a disgusting piece of shit. She doesn’t deserve to be stuck with a soulmate like you.]** That steely voice in her mind hissed. It had become a frequent visitor. Emma suspected her overwhelming guilt was the cause of its sudden appearance. She hated it to the core of her, but  at the same time raved the sting that accompanied the harsh words.

“When’s the last time you slept?” Emma gently asked. 

It took Regina longer than it should have to answer. 

“The night before last…I think.” 

Emma sighed. She didn’t want to act like Regina’s mother—not only because it seemed Regina hated her mother—but because she wanted to be seen as Regina’s friend. Not her reluctant self appointed care taker. So she swallowed back her scolding words and pushed out something less pointed. “ You’ve done a lot of work over the past couple days. Not to mention all the stress you're under right now. You deserve a break at least if you’re not going to let yourself sleep. We can watch a movie for a little and if you don’t get tired soon I’ll help you finish whatever it is you want to do next.” 

Regina paused her work and considered for a moment. She stared at Emma, then conceded to her suggestion with a small sigh. “You have to get me coffee instead of helping me. You’re a shit baker. No movie either. Instead, The Great British Baking Show.” Regina compromised.

Emma chuckled. “You’ve got a deal. The Great British Baking Show it is. Wrap up the batter and the hundreds of other things you’ve got out and I’ll set Netflix up.”

 

 

 

—————

 

 

When Regina finally let herself relax on the couch to the first episode of The Great British Baking Show she melted into Emma’s arms and fell asleep. Emma wanted to move her to a proper bed, but the slightest movement siphoned an agitated groan from Regina. So, instead, Emma leaned back into a semi comfortable position, tightened her grip and fell asleep.

(She thoroughly enjoyed the feeling of having the brunette in her arms. Though she’d never admit it out laid for fear of jinxing this beautiful fragile thing they’d developed recently.) 

 

—————

Regina returned to her old ways the next day. Though she slept a full eight hours before getting up and returning to the kitchen. Emma couldn’t begrudge her per say. She understood the need for distraction. 

Emma’s thing had been boxing (still was, though she was forcing herself not to fall back into old habits. Ironically enough, the tactics Graham had shown her to help Regina were helping Emma in her day to day life better than almost anything else she’d tried.)In her hometown, she’d spend hours pounding her fists into a bag, trying to either destroy the lingering remains of her guilt or on occasion destroy the faces of the men who’d ruined her life. It worked at first, but soon enough she chose boxing over sleeping and eating. She spiraled. And nearly harmed her family in the process. She didn’t want that for Regina. Though her vice was less dangerous and self destructive than Emma’s, the blonde still wanted Regina to be as healthy as possible.When Regina was in the kitchen yet again, e pouring over another baking book searching for inspiration for recipes, Emma hid in the bathroom and called the only person she knew could help.  

“Hey Graham. Sorry to call on such short notice.”

“ _It’s fine. It’s not like I’ve got much to do anyway. What’s up?_ ”

“I have to ask a favor—feel free to say no.”

 

 

————-

 

Regina was hesitant to leave the house. She’d only left to go to the grocery store, and check the progress of the shop up until now. But Graham had invited them over for dinner. So she'd pushed her fear and desire to continue work aside. She'd had missed him. A lot. Being so busy wracking her brain for recipes and crying over the mounting bills of the restoration, she’d not given herself the chance see him or Henry. Not that the really had to opportunity to see each other now. So she was loathed to turn down his dinner invitation.

A car door shut quietly as Emma climbed into the back of the uber. She shot Regina a smile as she adjusted the container on her lap, then turned to talk to the uber driver. Regina was stiff and tense, but Emma was trying her best to balance her out with a calm and carefree attitude. 

“Go as steady as you can please. We’ve got a shit ton of goods back here and she’ll pitch a fit if a single crumb is misplaced.” Emma teased. The driver chuckled. 

“I’ll do my best. We shouldn’t have a problem since it’s not rush hour. If I’m going too fast let me know.” He said before starting the car. 

Regina adjusted her own container on her lap, and fiddled with the carrier at her feet that held Vincent. Graham—to her surprise—had requested to see him. She knew very well that his presence was really for her own comfort but she appreciated the gesture—she needed as much kindness as she could get right now. Her mind had been…raw, for lack of a better word, since the night of the fire. She was out of sorts almost all day. It was frustrating beyond belief—especially considering all she had to do. But she pushed through as best as she could and tried to stay upright even when it seemed like all hope was lost. Like the dream that had so briefly been reality was gone forever. 

The ride to Graham’s apartment was short. He didn’t live very far from Regina, but just far enough away for walking to be almost impossible with the amount of items they carried. As they stepped into the lobby and made their way over to the elevators, Regina took a deep breath. The place was familiar—like a second home. She’d spent more time in Graham’s apartment than her own before Emma came. They had movie nights and game nights all the other cheesy things lonely people did on nights most other people were out living their lives. 

She’d missed that. Having Emma near her everyday was its own blessing, but Regina was so focused on the shop and doing everything she could to ensure the reopening went smoothly, that she didn’t always let herself unwind with her. Graham had enough experience to force her to unwind and as much as she was outwardly dreading it, she was secretly looking forward to it. 

He was waiting for them at the door. He shot them one of his rare smiles as they came close. 

“I’m so happy you could make it. I’ve been so worried about you since holed yourself up in your place but you look healthy-ish. Come on in. There’s someone waiting for you.” He leaned down and took the carrier that held Vincent. Then led the pair into his place. 

A familiar lanky silhouette sat on the couch, playing a video game on the nicely sized tv. He turned around when the door closed behind them. 

“Miss Mills! Graham didn’t tell me you were coming!” Henry cried out as he vaulted towards her. He pulled her into his arms and held her tight. It took everything in Regina not to burst into tears right then and there.  

She'd missed the kid so much. Worried about him day in and day out. She had his number, but felt it inappropriate to message him when she wasn't technically his boss right now. She hadn't been sure enough of her place in his life to reach out. But now she was sure. And as she hugged him back as tight as she dared (she could never be too careful. For all she knew his torso was a canvas of bruises once more) Regina felt the life flood back into her body.

She'd been running on autopilot. Her body mostly numb as he worked through muscle memory alone to get the job done. Sparks of feeling jolted though her fingers and toes the longer she stayed in the apartment. Over the course of the rest of the night, Regina felt herself heal. The last few weeks had been draining to say the least and she'd been on the edge of a breakdown. But she felt now that she had a chance of recovering. They spent the night cheering her up with first a few rounds of card games, then a tournament of Mario Kart. In between yelling and making empty threats over several bags of chips, the left over desserts Regina had brought and liters of soda, they cracked  jokes that made her laugh until she cried. Every chuckle, every snort and every smile her way were like bandaids on her wounded spirit. Regina hadn't realized just how much the fire had hurt her. How much it could have set her back. But because of her friends ,old and new, —Regina cast a glance over to Emma who was taking her turn on Graham's playstation against Henry and getting her ass handed to her in Mortal Kombat—she'd be alright. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To all who commented thank you so much! I'm sorry I haven't been responding recently. I've been seriously struggling to balance my new busy schedule with writing and responding. I'm going to do my best to respond as soon as I can though.


	7. Dreams and Ideas

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Regina returns to the shop and prepares for the reopening. Relationships develop and a visitor comes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope everyone is doing well and enjoys this chapter!

The next two months passed in slow motion it seemed. Regina—far from used to having so many consecutive days off—had trouble at first not working every chance she got. She got the hang of it eventually though, with the help of Emma’s almost constant but somehow not smothering presence. Though she was unofficially banned from the kitchen, Emma did everything she could outside of it to help Regina. With her help, combined with Henry’s sudden almost daily appearance at the apartment and Graham’s weekly dinner invitations,  Regina finally began to learn the art of multitasking.

The restoration went smoothly.

Thanks to Dorothy and her business’s generous donation, the fire was turning into a blessing in disguise. Things Regina had wanted upgraded and changed for _years_ were finally coming into fruition. Through the excitement of the new chapter of the Forbidden Fruit, the anger and sheer rage towards Killian still lingered. They all tried their best to focus their emotions into preparing for the reopening and trying not to search for Killian. Months after the fire, he was still M.I.A Not one person had heard from him. 

At the tail end of construction, when most of the work was mostly done and the workers felt people could step inside without injuring themselves—Regina began the next phase of the reopening.One she’d been dreading.

Summer was coming to a close. And with the fall season came the loss of most of her employees. She would have been prepared earlier but weeks previous she hadn't even been sure in there would be a shop left to work at. Ava, Nick and another young barista named Ian had all been high school students looking for a summer job. (Henry was technically apart of their little group of soon to be ex-employees. He _should_ have quit and went about his life to focus on the upcoming school year, but he’d refused adamantly. He’d actually almost raised his voice at Regina when she tried to force him to quit. So they came to an agreement. Two hours before school, two after on weekdays and a regular shift on weekends.) Which left the shop with a three person opening and no-one to fill it.

The town they lived in wasn’t small exactly, but the shop was relatively unknown outside of those in the surrounding area—which was a cesspool of college students and hipsters alike—so the candidates for capable baristas was pretty thin. Regina spent all day every day for a week weeding through a series of undesirables (with Graham's help) until she settled on the two seemingly acceptable employees whose names were Jack and Sally.The third was coming in today for a final test.

Regina was nervous. She hadn’t had to train anyone in months, and this would be the first time in such a stressful environment. The team of workers did their best to keep the noise to a minimum, but the usual din of construction was hardly something they could control. And Regina was quickly coming to find that the sounds of industrial equipment were yet another trigger on her already long list. 

The way the noises echoed through the shop grated on the insides of her teeth and made her nauseous. The metallic scraping and loud crashes were the exact opposite of what she needed right now. She didn't know how she was going to get through the training and assessment. All she knew was that she needed her mind to stop zoning out every two seconds. She was trying to stay focused—stay present—but it was getting harder and harder with every passing moment.Her distress wasn’t helped in the slightest by the fact that her possible new employee was late. The girl was the daughter of a Senator who really didn’t need the job but wanted it for the experience. Regina couldn’t fault the girl for the fact that she didn’t _need_ the job, but her lack of experience in anything other than high-school politics and babysitting made Regina wary to say the least. She didn’t have time or enough disposable inventory for another Henry. The others had at least basic job experience—fast food restaurants, books stores, Starbucks.etc— but this girl had none. Nothing. Nada. Zilch. And on top of that she was fucking late! Half an hour late!

“Take a few deep breaths ‘Gina. You’re turning blue.” Emma commented as she entered the shop on her way back from another coffee run. She held two travel mugs in her hands. When Regina looked up from her clipboard she--with a fond roll of her eyes—handed her the one with Wonder Woman’s emblem. Regina eagerly took it and sipped. All at once the tension that had been building from the second she’d woken up dissipated. The exquisite flavors of chamomile, vanilla and honey tea exploded on her taste buds and set her mind at ease. Emma watched with a fond smile.

“Feel better yet?” Emma asked.

“Yes. Thank you." Regina breathed. "This was exactly what I needed. How’d you know?” She took another sip as she awaited an answer.

Emma shrugged, but her lips were curled into a secretive smile. “I just had a feeling. And no I will not be revealing the name of the person who suggested I get you this tea. It's confidential.” 

Regina chuckled at the remark. Behind them, the front door was ripped open and flew into the wall with a loud thud. Both Regina and Emma jumped. Emma, on instinct, took Regina and pulled her behind her. A figure clad in pastel jeans and a floral blouse shot into the shop. Her feet were loud against the new ash grey wood of the shop and as she entered she dropped her leather messenger bag onto the nearest table. Heavy textbooks fell from it and knocked over the containers of metal straws that had been delivered that morning. They landed on the ground with a sharp bang.

They flinched again and could do nothing but stare at the young woman who stood before them for a few seconds. She was panting for breath—having obviously run here— her eyes wide and fearful.

“I’m so sorry Miss Mills! I—"

Regina held up a hand to silence the young woman. “Stop right there Mary Margaret. I don’t want to hear it. We're already behind.  I don't need you giving me a long, winded explanation about how many things went wrong this morning for you to be so late.  You’re here now and that’s all that matters. But please know if you show up this late to work if you get the actual job, I'll throw you out on your ass faster than you can blink.”

The young woman gulped and nodded.

Regina pinched the bridge of her nose, trying her best to stave off the headache looming behind her eyes. "Take a few moments to get yourself together." She pointed to the hallway behind them. "Make a right and you'll find the kitchen. Look over the recipes on the menu and make sure you know them at least a little bit before I get in. I need to wrap up a few things out here before I join you." The young woman nodded and after hastily picking her books up, headed to the newly repaired kitchen. Most of the rooms were fully repaired. The only things left to do were facade work as well as the new counter and the many _many_ deliveries. Decor needed to be brought it, as well as furniture, painters needed to come in and what felt like a hundred other things needed to get done. Which was were Emma came in. She volunteered her services to Regina as a version of her assistant— checking on deliveries and eventually helping Henry and Graham organize inventory. 

The only place that wasn't ready was the upstairs apartment, since it had taken the brunt of the fire damage. 

When Mary was out of sight, Regina and Emma leaned down to clean up the metal straws. They were so focused on their task that they bumped heads standing up.

Emma laughed and shot up quickly to playfully nudge Regina. “Fuck you dork.” She responded.

Regina chuckled, rolled her eyes and muttered. “I wish.” Before clearing her throat and saying in a louder voice “Are you alright?” She saw the slight tremble in Emma's hands. Saw how close her shoulders were to her ears. Emma smiled at her. 

“Yeah—I’m fine. That noise just startled me that’s all. Are you alright?” She looked up from the straws to glance at Regina. Her gaze was inquisitive and calculating. Regina felt as though the woman could see through her. She cleared her throat and stepped back slightly. Her cheeks were warm.

Fuck.

“I’m fine. Just tired and unsettled. I’ll try to make this quick. How’s everything coming along?”

Emma squinted at Regina. She knew she was lying about something, but for the life of her she couldn’t place exactly what it was. (Her discernment skills when it came to Regina had sharpened as they spent more and more time together. Which was why she learned to pay attention to the  niggling tug in the back of her head. Familiarity accompanied with a sense of dread and a hint of fear lingered.)

“Fine. The tables should come in by Friday. The chairs Sunday. The inventory you ordered should mostly be here by tomorrow. Which is great, but I’m afraid that the noise upstairs will be too much for you to have an actual coffee shop down here. People come to coffeeshops to relax. Not listen to construction work.”

Regina sighed. “I know. I might have to push back the opening if the apartment continues to take so long. I was trying to avoid having to do that but I'd rather wait than have people hate coming here because its so noisy. I’ll figure it out. After Blanchard’s gone I’ll call Dorothy. See what she thinks.” 

Emma nodded. “Alright. Before you go—I heard from Ruby earlier today, that  there was this really nice Thai place that opened down the street from your apartment. You feel up to going there for dinner?”

Regina paused and took a moment to think. It was something she was _trying_ to implement more and more now. Now that she had someone in her space constantly, she tried not to let unhealthy habits consume her. She was getting better at not pushing past her limits despite what other people wanted or asked.

Regina sighed. “I don’t feel up to it. I think I’ll end up crashing when we getback—not for long hopefully but… the noises. They’ve got me unsettled. ”

Emma nodded in understanding. “Got it. You want me to order it and we can pick it up on our way back? We can stay in and lay around on the couch.” 

“I’m afraid I won’t be much company. I won’t be able to hold a conversation for very long _._ I think. I don’t know one hundred percent yet. I should know but.. I just— It’s stupid. Don't worry about me." She blushed, shame coloring her cheeks as she struggled to define what she was feeling. It was a problem she hadn’t truly realized was a problem until now. Her lack of understanding when it came to herself and her lack of awareness when it came to her body’s needs. On her best days she struggled to decipher what it was telling her. On her worst she ignored it in favor of moving on and doing what needed to be done. 

“And that’s fine. We’ll play it by ear. It’s not stupid Regina. Whatever you need, I'll do what I can to help.” Emma assured in a calm voice. She reached out and placed a hand gently on Regina’s shoulder. Regina ached to hold that calloused hand. The desire was growing by the day and worsening now that they were technically _living_ together. It was hard seeing Emma every morning and every night for the past three weeks and not being able to truly wake up to her. She’d dreamed of the day she’d live with her soulmate since she was a teenager. She never considered that it’d end up like this. 

“I need to finish this assessment with Blanchard. Then I’ll come help you finalize the deliveries  before we leave for the day. If you need me before I'm done come find me.” 

“I will.” They both leaned in on instinct. It seemed the natural resolution to their conversation. A simple kiss. But they’d yet to even discuss crossing that line. Platonic soulmates were still a thing after all and with everything going on it seemed like the wrong time all the time. Even if they’d unofficially put a hold on the whole ‘I’m too fucked up for you’ thing they’d had going on since the night of the fire. Even if underneath their worries and anxieties it felt like the most right thing in the world to be near each other. 

Regina pulled back first and cleared her throat. “See you later Em.” She softly said. 

Emma only nodded in response. Her eyes bore holes in Regina’s back as she watched her walk back out to the shop. 

 

 

———-

 

Mary Margaret Blanchard was useless. Completely and utterly useless. She was that certain brand of ditzy that only the earliest of Disney princesses possessed. That ‘ _I’m-useless-beyond-repair-because-my-mind-is-consumed-with-my-soulmate-and-woodland-creatures’_ thing that made Regina sick as a kid. Regina had fucked with Mulan heavily but practically spat on anything Cinderella or worse _Snow White_ related. (She’d been fond of the ‘Evil’ Queen in Snow White’s story more so than the princess. For the longest time she believe wholeheartedly that the queen should have been just _‘The Queen’_ with no other title and deserve her own movie—but she’d let go of that in her adulthood. Or so she said.)

And Mary Margaret Blanchard was eerily similar to the Disney Princess. With her pale skin, raven hair cut in a pixie cut and large, innocent doe eyes the color of light hazel eyes. She was a little princess (ok technically she wasn’t _little_ because she was a few years younger than Regina and taller than her but whatever) but Regina wasn’t looking to _hire_ a princess! She was looking to hire a barista. 

But Mary Margaret burned milk like it was her job, got flustered with orders way too easily, and although she got points for perseverance she got all the orders—(orders _Henry_ got right on his worst days)—Regina threw at her wrong. The only thing she was even remotely good at was baking. She managed to make an amazing berry pie, with the most delicate lattice work Regina had ever seen. It was intricate and artful and everything her coffee wasn’t. 

So, in the end Regina hired on another baker—not a barista. She’d…figure something out. Pull doubles as a barista and keep Mary on as a baker maybe. It would be fine.

Hopefully. 

 

————

 

Mary Margaret’s first official day was…interesting to say the least.

With everything else going on, Regina had vowed—both to herself and to Emma—-not to be overly concerned with the girl. She had enough stress on her plate at the moment as it was and though technically Mary Margaret _should_ have fallen on that plate, both Emma and Graham refused to let her shoulder it. They knew that once she had it, she’d be almost impossible to stop for weeks on end. The shop could survive without Regina’s meticulous attention for a few days.  If they could survive a  fire, they could survive one barista down. 

They could. 

Regina called Mary Margaret in early her first day. They needed to master the recipes on the menu and tweak as much as possible before the reopening. Emma came along as well of course but _‘officially’_ she was placing finishing touches on the inventory room instead of shadowing their baking work—despite how much she wanted to. And _‘unofficially’,_ after being brought into a super secret plan formed by Henry and Graham, Emma was there to make sure Regina didn’t let her perfectionist tendencies overwhelm her and push her to push Mary Margaret and herself too far.

She had a habit of doing that when stressed. Overcompensating to the max. And this time, her friends—her family— refused to sit idly by and watch as she self-destructed. The day started at five. Henry was the first to the shop, arriving with two carriers  full of Starbucks coffee for everyone. Regina and Emma came next, followed by Graham. Graham, Emma and Henry went into to the back as soon as they could to organize the new inventory while Regina went about her usual ritual. Mary Margaret showed up on time. She was revved and ready to go by the time Regina had her second cup of coffee and both women retreated to the small kitchen beside the inventory room. Emma tried not to snoop. She did. But she couldn’t help it. She was both worried and curious. 

Regina and Mary Margaret had this weird tension that had a hint of something childish—something petty and undeserving but not malicious. Just hilarious. (Regina didn’t even seem aware of how much she unconsciously scowled around the younger woman) And Emma wanted to watch it unfold. So she took it upon herself under the guise of her 'assistant' position to check in on them every ten minutes. She peeked her head into the kitchen occasionally—calling on her covert operation skills to lead her through—and she watched as they rolled out pastry dough and a new dough for the cookies that Regina had just come up with last night.  

Mary Margaret tried to chat with Regina—make friendly conversation and all that good jazz—but Regina was resistant. It took Emma a moment or two to decipher exactly what it was, but when it came she had to run back to the inventory room to hold in laughter. 

 _(It’s her thing. The intimidation tactic. But…she looks so cute!)_ Her mind screamed. Regina was trying to do that thing she thought worked. The hard-ass act she put on for her employees so they would do what they needed to do. Emma’d heard from multiple sources (Nick, Ava and Henry mostly) that the reason they listened wasn’t because of the ‘ice queen’ act. It was just because they liked Regina. They liked being around her and like the sense of camaraderie—of family—that came from working so closely with the owner of such a shop. 

They also mentioned—though they swore Emma to secrecy—that the ice queen act was sort of cute once you got to know Regina. And Emma could see it now. The way she looked more like a grumpy kitten than an intimidating boss. (A kitten Emma wanted to wrap up and take home forever.) But Mary Margaret was affected. When Emma came back to check on them again the cookies were in the oven, pastry was in the refrigerator and biscottis were being made. The room was dead silent and Mary Margaret kept staring at Regina out of the corner of her eye, barely concealed fear dwelling there. For the rest of the day it was like that. Mary Margaret either tried to learn the basics of barista work from Graham (no matter how much he tried, there was no helping the poor woman. She was horrible.) or going to the kitchen to test out new recipes. Regina had worried that she wasn't going to have time to make the baked good she wanted on the menu but with another baker on hand, the quota was attainable. No matter how well they worked together in the kitchen every time Mary Margaret caught Regina’s glare she withered. It was almost comical. The contrast yet subtle similarities between the ‘ice queen’ and the woman Emma slowly ( _not really. not really at all_ ) found herself falling for.

 

 

————

 

 

Mary did well. Over time her confidence grew and she learned—after several more failed attempts—to stop trying to rope Regina into conversation. Though the tension between the two women was still noticeable, Regina’s cold attitude was beginning to thaw. Slightly.

There was much to do in preparation, but with extra hands things went better and better. Regina and Emma’s friendship grew stronger by the day. It was bound to, seeing as now that lived together—technically—but with their friendship came something both expected and unexpected. The tension was so thick at times, one could cut it with a knife, but never once was it acted on. Still, both were too afraid to voice their desires for fear of hurting the other.So, instead, during the times it took much strength to keep from touching each other, the soulmates separated for an hour or two. Emma escaped the complex’s gym, to run or punch the heavy punching bags. Regina most times staid in the apartment and baked several unnecessary items just to release tension.

It was both a relief and a disappointment the day the apartment above the shop was fully repaired. A relief in the sense that finally, they could breath without wanting to climb the other like a tree not to mention being able to open the shop in the next week or two. A disappointment, in the way that the constant company of their soulmate was its own brand of ambrosia. After putting the final touches on the apartment and closing up the shop, Regina and Emma decided to have one last hurrah together before Emma returned—though they wouldn’t stop hanging out every day. They’d only stop seeing each other every _hour_ of the day which was heartbreaking but not unmanageable. A quick dinner at Tiana’s Place, followed by some beignets to go. They walked down the sidewalks, swaying in the wind as they chatted. 

“We should go shopping this weekend.” Regina suggested. “Now that the apartment is livable, you should actually put a bit of yourself in it. Some nice throw pillows, a nice tv, something like that. I don’t know.”

Emma took a bite of her beignet and shrugged. Powdered sugar covered her mouth and the tip of her nose and Regina quietly chuckled at the sight of it. It was a trait she was beginning to find beyond adorable. Emma’s habit of eating like a child. It wasn’t uncommon for her to have the food they’d eaten both on her face and her clothes. Now was obviously one of those times and Regina couldn’t even blame Emma. Tiana’s beignets were the highlight of her week. Their heavenly taste was a source of inspiration and endless delight. 

“That’d be nice. I don’t have much savings left, but I think I can swing for some simple decor stuff. I don’t watch much TV and honestly, if I need to watch something I’ll just go to your house.” She nudged Regina with her hip and the brunette smiled. 

“You’re not wrong. You know you’re welcome at my apartment as often as you need. It’ll be so lonely without you there. I’ve gotten so used to having you with me all the time, it’ll be hard to go back to being lonely.” Regina confessed. 

Emma blushed and bit her lip. “Well.” She cleared her throat and slowed down. She kept her eyes glued to the box of beignets in her hand. “I uh was thinking…We’ve been getting really close recently…”

“Yeah?”

“And—look ‘Gina, let’s stop kidding ourself for a second. If this it too fast and you’re not ready don’t hesitate to let me know.” She looked up at Regina. The brunette was looking at her with a worried expression but at the Emma’s insisting gaze she nodded. “I…I really like you..Alot. I mean—I knew I would considering we’re soulmates and all but this is…different. I really want this to work not just in the friendship realm of things and not just because we're soulmates. I want things to work in the romantic realm of things because I like you a lot and would love nothing more than to treat you nice... if that's what you want.” 

Soul words were more guides to your best possible match these days. All the time, soulmates didn’t work out or were miserable in their relationships. Emma’s own parents had had a relationship like that. They had each other’s words, but hated each other and eventually got a divorce the second Emma turned 18. So she was brutally aware of just how wrong this could go. But she didn’t want it to go wrong. At all. She wanted desperately for it to work out and to have Regina in her life for the rest of her life. 

A blush and shy smile crept up on Regina’s face.  “I was hoping you’d say something like that soon. I’d love to.”

Emma’s heart skipped  a beat and she had to lean against the wall of a random shop to stay standing. “Cool—great—good. Wonderful! Uh how about this Saturday?Gusteau's sound ok? I can make reservations and pick you up from your apartment.”

Regina averted her eyes as her blush grew. But the smile never left her face. “Yeah. That sounds nice.” 

 

 

—————-

 

They parted ways after finishing dessert. Regina let Emma take her home after much protest but she'd kissed the blonde's cheek when they pulled up to the apartment building. Her cheek had almost exploded at the feeling of Regina's soft lips against  it. Emma returned to the shop feeling more giddy and more excited than she had in years. Her heart was beating a mile a minute and her mind wouldn’t stop running through the possible scenarios of how the date with Regina would go. She was looking forward to it, but she was beyond nervous. She wanted to impress Regina. She wanted to sweep Regina off of her feet. But she was so lack luster in the romance department (climbing the ranks of the military in ten years and focusing all her energy on either being an exquisite soldier or her family didn’t leave much time for romance or even no-strings-attached-sexy-times.) that she wasn’t sure how to do much of anything romance related.

If she’d been more vigilant, she would have noticed the red pick up truck in a parking space just in front of the coffeeshop. She reached into her back pocket for the key to the front door just as she came in view of it and didn’t notice the man on the step. When she looked up and went to open the door, she promptly dropped the keys. 

Sitting outside the door of the Forbidden Fruit was her brother David Nolan, who Emma hadn’t seen or spoken to in months. Since the night she called Ruby on a pay-phone near Granny’s, and hid in the booth with bloody knuckles and a growing sense of dread until she showed up. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!


	8. Soon to be Smitten

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> David and Emma have a long overdue conversation, another barista is hired and date-night transpires.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I struggled with this chapter a bit but I hope everything comes off ok. And I hope everyone has a nice weekend!

“What are you doing here?” Emma questioned. Her face was stone. Her words cold and lifeless. A juxtaposition to the raging fire of fear and uncertainty that burned within her.

David sighed in response and stood slowly. His hands were in his pockets—mirroring a stance Emma often took when she was nervous—and his shoulders were tense. His sky blue eyes were full of sadness and apprehension. “I haven’t seen or heard from you in months Emma. I’ve been worried sick.”

Emma didn’t know what to say. She wanted to be sorry but when she thought back to what she’d done—bloody knuckles, fearful eyes and the smell of gunpowder flashed across her mind like scene from a movie. But only for a moment—she knew she’d made the right decision. She gulped. 

“I…I know. I won’t say I’m sorry because I’m not. I mean—I’m sorry for causing so much trouble, but I left for a reason. To protect you guys. To recover without worrying my every step backwards was gonna kill someone I love. And you should have respected that.” 

David scowled down at her and crossed him arms over his chest. “Protect us from what Emma? We’ve all been worried sick about you for the past few months—calling Ruby all hours of the night, badgering her for information that she just wouldn’t give up. If your goal was to protect us from getting hurt you failed. I got several ulcers worrying about you.” He snapped. But his tone wasn’t as harsh as it could have been and Emma knew that. She sighed. 

“Protect you from _me_ David. Last time we saw each other I…” She couldn’t even speak the words. Unshed tears choked her. “I did something inexcusable—”

“Stop being so hard on yourself Emma! You didn’t do it on purpose. And no-one got hurt. I can understand why you felt it was better to leave. But  you should have at least told us you were leaving before you disappeared.”

“Just because no-one got hurt doesn’t mean what I did was right!” She yelled. “You guys shouldn’t have to deal with that. Which is why I left. And I refuse to come back.” She folded her arms over her chest and tried to keep up the facade of cold and callous, but at David’s soft gaze she melted just the slightest bit. 

“I’m not here to drag you back. I’m just here to check up on you. Make sure you’re not dead in a ditch somewhere. You know...I thought that for a while—since you didn’t answer our calls or anything. But then I realized I would have known. So…I found my way here. You have your reasons to be wary Em but please. Let me in.” David begged as he inched towards her like she was an injured deer. It both floored and filled Emma with anger. But she let it go. She knew what she must have looked like to him—his crazy older sister with issues a mile high, who now liked to run from her problems. ( _If only that was the truth ironically enough my problems are almost the compete opposite of that. Running away because I want to would almost be easier._ ) She thought. 

She wanted to just tell him to fuck off. Emma loved David more than anyone in the world, but sometimes he could be as stubborn as a mule. He wouldn’t listen to reason no matter how many times you threw it at him. But, despite what was easier swallow—Emma knew David’s presence would be nothing but good in her life. So, Emma sighed and nodded.

“It’s getting late. You can come upstairs for a bit and we can…talk I guess.” She conceded, scratching the back of her neck as she spoke.He was already here wasn’t he? And knowing him, saying no wasn't going to be enough to get him to leave in this situation.“You didn’t bring James did you?”

David’s twin brother—James— and Emma’s technically half brother was the biggest asshole on the entire earth. It was an anomaly of the highest proportions that he was related to them. Then again—with George as his sole inspiration it shouldn't have come as such a surprise. George was the only father Emma had ever known but she had enough sense to know he was a giant asshat. Besides, all the bad genes had to go somewhere. With Emma being...well Emma and David being the pinnacle of perfection and charm, James got the short end of the genetic stick. He and David may be identical but there was no way in hell anyone could confuse them.

David snorted. “No. Of course not. And he and Dad don't know yet either. Only Mom and I know—and I know you want to keep it that way, so I’ll make sure ot keep a tight lid on things.”

“Good. Thanks.” Emma replied. Then silence. Neither of them were sure of what to say. There was so much to catch up on. But where to start? Emma just turned around and began unlocking the door. “Beware—there was a fire recently and well…lost story short most of the place was damaged. Most importantly my apartment. It looks like shit now, but it’s home.”

“I heard—that’s how I found you actually. Heard on the news about Dorothy’s company making some charitable donation to this coffee shop in Seattle. I knew she had a place there and knew for sure where she was Ruby wasn’t far behind. Which meant you might be there.”

Emma’s brow furrowed. “So you came all the way out here on just a hunch?” She questioned.

David looked down at her and gave her a look that simply screamed ‘ _Of-course-I-would-you-fucking-idiot-I-love-you’._ Emma averted her eyes and blushed. The door opened just as she did, so instead of dealing withthe emotions attached to the confirmation that her younger brother went state to state looking for her—she instructed him to get him bag from his truck, then led him inside the shop. She didn’t speak again until they made their way up the staircase that led to the apartment.

“I don’t have a guest bed or anything. Most of my stuff got charred during the fire. Dorothy got me a futon for now so—hope you have a hotel room or something. Or else you’re gonna wake up with a serious crick in your neck tomorrow morning.” She stated.

“The crick won’t be any worse than what I’ve got going on right now. I can promise you that. Anything is better than sleeping in my truck for the past three days.” David responded with a chuckle. 

At his words, Emma spun and shot him an incredulous glare. She could not fucking believe him. ( _He’s got to be fucking joking! Right? Sleeping in his truck._ ) Anger and confusion swirled up in Emma’s throat and clung to the sides of it so hard she couldn’t respond. Instead of lashing out and potentially injuring him, Emma silently opened the apartment door and led David in.As he took a look around, Emma plopped down on the futon in the middle of room. Then took a few moments to gather her thoughts. Her brother—her dumbass little brother—had actually driven from fucking Maine to Seattle to find her just to make sure she was ok. He…He was—When he returned, a smile on his face and compliments on the tip of his tongue, Emma shot up from the futon and glared at him. He froze and held out his hands in surrender. 

“You’re a fucking dumbass!” Emma hissed.

On instinct David spat back before he could think. “I learned it by watching you!” Emma reeled at the phrase and had to hold back a snort and the urge to shove him.

He’d used that exact phrase for most of their childhood. Anytime he would do anything wrong, he’d blamed the influence of the nearest person to him. It worked for the first five years of his life, when he only had one front tooth and  looked like a little cherub so their Ma let him get away with almost everything. But he gave the strategy up in first grade. And Emma hadn't heard him utter the words since.

  
“Fuck you!” She punched his arm a few times and shoved him once to get it out of her system before the fire left her for good. She sighed and leaned up against him, letting him wrap his arms around her. “I love you idiot…I love you and…I missed you but you’re a real fucking idiot. Driving all the way out here just to find me.”

He gave her a smile then shrugged. “What else was I supposed to do? I couldn’t wait forever for you to get your head out of your ass and pick up the phone.”

Emma gave into the urge to snort then, and even let out a strangled laugh before dragging him to sit on the futon.

 

————

 

They talked for hours. First over the little box of beignets from Tiana’s Place,then over the sandwiches David had packed for the road. Emma caught her brother up on all the goings on in her laugh as of late. Meeting her soulmate, making progress, Killian, the fire, her blossoming relationship with both Regina and her new friends. And in turn he told her bare minimum about his life over the past few months. Apparently, after her abrupt departure David moved in with their mother. She was so distraught that David had been worried for her health. So he made sure she was safe and healthy during the first few months without Emma, while working at the animal shelter in town and avoiding George and James as often as he could. He searched for any hints of Emma’s presence in any state he could manage to find for months. But found nothing much to his disappointment. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, he stumbled across the news segment about the fire in Seattle. He’d compiled a list of possible places she could be, and in the end went to most of them on the way. The journey took him three days. Which was why he had no problems whatsoever sharing the futon. 

David yawned as he fell back onto the lumpy thing. “Two weeks straight of sleeping in my car has done permanent damage to my back I’m sure. This futon is like a luxury bed in comparison. I could care less if it’s a futon—as long as I can sleep on it. But I refuse to sleep on it alone. Come here.” He reached out for Emma and poked out his lip in a plea when she backed away.  

Emma stood right beside the futon, sheepishly hugging herself. She wanted nothing more than to jump in with him like they used to when they were kids. Honestly—even after they were kids. (They’d had sleepovers of sorts until she went off to the army; sleeping under a fort in the basement, or a tent in the backyard once every few months as a treat.) Their Ma used to joke that they should have been the twins, not James and David. 

Which was the reason Emma was so hesitant to hop beside her brother. She couldn’t trust herself with him now. Her nightmares had tapered off slightly, sure, but she didn’t feel safe enough to share a bed with David. He was her little brother. She’d already almost hurt him once, she’d jump off the roof if she gave him so much as a bruise during a nightmare. But, David soon gave her no choice, reaching out to take her arm and yank her onto the futon with him. When she got close enough, he curled around her like a koala and hummed. 

“You’ve gained weight.” He murmured into her hair. She snorted.

“That’s what happens you live above your soulmate’s coffee shop. She feeds me like it’s her job. And think, I could be all bony and malnourished but I’m not. ‘Gina’s been taking good care of me.” 

“‘Gina huh?” He teased. Emma rolled her eyes and pinched the arm that was wrapped around her ribs. He chuckled and pinched her neck. 

“Shut up.” She replied. 

“No I think it’s cute. You’ve found your soulmate. You know everyone always thought it’d be me finding them first but I knew deep down it would be you…I’m really happy for you Em. I can’t wait to meet her.” 

Emma hummed and blushed in response. “You’re gonna like her. A lot. She’s a real sweetheart. She’s been through a lot and she’s been really stressed recently but she’s strong. I’m positive you two will get along once things calm down. Though I’m not sure if your surprise visit is gonna cause her to be more stressed or not.”

“Weeelll, last time you had a guest over he did burn her business down. I can see how she’d be hesitant.” They both laughed. “If it becomes a problem though, I’ll find a way to get George to wire me some money or something so I can get a hotel room. Or maybe I can work around the shop in exchange for room and board.” 

“Are you sure? I mean don’t you have a life waiting for you back in Storybrooke?” She asked. 

He blushed and held her a bit tighter. “Not exactly…I’ve been feeling recently that the place has kind of lost its appeal. I love the shelter but…I want more. Ya know? And I know Mom’ll be ok. She’s been getting better all the time. And James and George don’t need me…so maybe I’ll stick around and make something of myself here. Or at least get started on that path. I don’t know.” 

Emma smiled into her pillow and tried not to let out the squeal of excitement at the prospect of David staying. She cleared her throat and tried to sound bored and unaffected. “Sounds nice. I can understand what you meant. Regina has been searching for a new barista…” Emma admitted. 

  
She could feel David’s smile on the top of her head. “Perfect. I can make coffee…I think.”

“We’ll find out soon enough.” She joke. They talked a little bit more about nothing and everything before they slipped into slumber. 

 

————

 

When Regina and Henry walked into to the shop the next morning the last thing they were expecting to see was Emma making them cups of coffee with a blonde manwho just had to be her brother. At first glance both had presumed the red pickup truck parked outside was from one of the movers. But as it turned out— Emma had a hell of a night. She explained it all to Regina privately after softening what she presumed to be a blow with an incredibly well made cup of coffee. It made sense and Regina couldn’t be mad. The man seemed nice. He was leaps and bounds better than Killian. And Regina wanted to prove that she trusted Emma’s judgement, despite how bad things had gone before. 

Regina sipped the cup of coffee and hummed at its taste. “This bribery coffee was unnecessary but much appreciated. I would have said yes anyway. But, feel free to bribe me with this every time you see me. Or better yet, take up as the barista I need—this shit is ambrosia.”

“Well—actually…David made that. He was trying to give you a taste of his barista skills. He thinks he would be a good addition to your staff. I honestly thought he put motor oil in it or something. I’m genuinely surprised you’re still standing.” Emma responded. Regina choked on her sip, nearly spitting it out as she tried to fight back a laugh. David protested loudly from the corner of the shop where He and Henry were putting books into a bookshelf for the little reading area of the shop. 

“Well he proved you wrong. I could use a pretty face on the staff to handle the morning crowd…Are you up for it Nolan?” She turned to look back the man, and his only response was to shoot her his most charming smile. His teeth glittered in the sunlight, and his eyes were like sapphires. He looked like a rustic angel with his unkept facial hair. “You’re hired.” 

Regina took the rest of that day to teach David the ins and outs of the job. He was a natural. His presence lifted a small weight off of Regina's shoulders.  

 

————

 

 

Regina nervously paced in the foyer of her apartment. Occasionally glancing at herself in the hallway mirror, checking her makeup and hair for the hundredth time in the past thirty minutes. It was Saturday afternoon, and she had just finished getting ready for her first official date with Emma Nolan. She was terrified. Vincent hopped off the couch and walked to her feet, then looked up at her with an inquisitive gaze.

Regina looked down at him and raised an eyebrow. “Do you think I look alright? This isn’t too much is it? I mean we _are_ going to the fanciest restaurant in town. But I have a feeling Emma won’t be too dressy. I don’t look like I’m going to a wedding do I?” She took a step back and twirled so he could see her full it outfit. 

She wore a white mini dress that was just short enough to show off her tan legs, but just long enough to be classy. It had thin straps and a skirt with the tiniest bit of ruffle on the bottom. Nice, nude-ish colored sandal heels on her freshly manicured feet ( _thank you Katherine_ ) Regina’s hair was mostly left to it’s own devices—messy curls tamed just a bit with the help of bobby pins. The perfect effortlessly chic look— Her makeup was light and simple. Her jewelry was all a light rose gold. She looked like amazing.At the least, that’s what the group chat said. Ruby had sent about a thousand emojis that  eventually told the story of how much she loved the outfit, while Katherine had sent a long paragraph telling her to have fun but not to do anything she wouldn't do. Dorothy had been the only one acting remotely sane, sending Regina an encouraging message and ensuring her that Emma would love her outfit. 

So Regina felt confident she looked at least presentable—but she was having seconds thoughts about the fanciness of it. Gusteau’s was an upscale restaurant sure, but Emma wasn’t on to wear something fancy. She’d probably come in a blouse and jeans with a pair of high heeled boots. And Regina would look out of place beside her. That was the last thing she wanted. Not to mention the fact that Regina felt like a different person. She wasn’t used to wearing things so fancy. She’d lived in jeans and T-shirts for the past three years.Vincent meowed up at her. Regina smiled down at him and leaned down to scratch under his chin. He purred for her and rubbed his cute little face against her hand, siphoning a chuckle from her. “I’m going to assume that means I look fine. Thanks for the confidence boost bud.” She said just before there was a knock on the door. Regina shot up from the floor and readjusted her skirt to fall back down to the respectable place it once was. She gulped as she made her way to the door. Sweat was starting to build. Regina's heart raced a tiny bit faster than before. Luckily though, it wasn’t the dangerous and all too familiar sting of anxiety. It was more so excitement and a touch of insecurity.

Regina opened the door to reveal Emma. 

The blonde looked exquisite. She wore a grey blazer and matching trousers, with a white tank blouse underneath. Her hair was up in a slick bun. She had the barest hint of makeup on and her lips glistened with lipgloss. She was a few inches taller as well—high heels most likely. And in front of it all, was a bouquet of beautiful lilacs and violets. Emma blushed when she got to   look at Regina. 

She coughed. “Uh, hey ‘Gina. You look nice” 

Regina smiled and chuckled Thanks Em. So do you. Are these for me?” She asked.

“No actually, they’re for Vincent. We’re supposed to be going out tonight. Do you know if he’s ready or not?” He popped out from behind Regina’s legs,  looked up at Emma and meowing as a greeting. They both laughed. But soon after Emma straightened up and blushed. She held the flowers out again. “Of course they’re for you ‘Gina…I hope they’re ok.”  She handed them to Regina and the brunette couldn’t help but stop and catch a whiff of their lovely scent. 

“They’re lovely Emma. Let me put them in a vase and then we can go.” 

“Ok. I’ll let Vincent get his shovel talk out the way now.” Regina chuckled at the remark again before leading Emma into her apartment once again. As Emma leaned down to greet Vincent, Regina retreated to the hallway closet to find a vase. Once it was found, the flowers trimmed and placed carefully Regina felt a wave excitement fall over her. Her hands shook. She started sweating again. But she pushed it all down to grab her clutch and jacket. 

 

 

————

 

Emma borrowed one of Dorothy’s cars for the special occasion. It was a bright blue convertible that was cleaner than a whistle and absolutely gorgeous. Just their luck, even with the waning sunlight, the weather was warm enough for them to put the top down. And they did. They basked in the warm breeze and feel of the wind blowing through their hair the entire ride to Gusteau’s. Emma had a hard time focusing on driving when she was trying to catch glimpses of Regina’s bright smile as they wove through the calm streets of Seattle. The place was—as expected—packed when they arrived. But with Dorothy’s help once again, Emma managed to secure good seats with a bottle of wine already waiting at the table. She scrambled to pull out Regina’s chair before she sat down—an act which earned her a sweet smile—and clumsily tried to pour some wine into the glasses when she sat back down, almost spilling to way too expensive bottle on the table. A soft hand stilled her own. 

“Take a few deep breaths Em. You’re turning blue.” She commented, earning a laugh from Emma as she put down the bottle. “You don’t have to go out of your way to impress me ya know? Just being here with you is already turning out to be one of the most amazing evenings of my life. So don’t stress. Let’s just enjoy ourselves.” She reached over and placed her hand on Emma’s. The blonde looked down at their interlocked hands and smiled, running her thumb across Regina’s knuckles. The touch steadied her. She looked up at Regina and smiled. 

"Ok." She took a deep breath. "I've been wondering  for the longest time...how did you come to learn Italian?" She asked, which sent Regina onto a winded yet intriguing story about the year she spent living in Europe. 

The night from then on was spectacular. Though Emma had no doubt that it would be with Regina at her side, she'd been afraid her lack of experience would ruin things. But the night was anything but ruined. They talked about anything and everything. Fell into  long debates this and that and told stories about all the things the'd thought they'd forgotten. They lost themselves in conversation, the company and soon enough the food. It was divine. The perfect mix of french cuisine, gourmet technique and something that felt heartfelt and homemade. Like a warm hug from your mother on a saturday afternoon. Emma was sure they were embarrassing themselves, moaning and groaning as they were in the middle of the fanciest restaurant in town, but they couldn't help it. Not with the way the flavors melted on their tongues and the wine warmed every fiber of their being. The patrons around them sent dirty looks, but they only made the pair laugh harder. The meal was three courses. One better than the next. Throughout the entire meal, both women stuck to one glass of wine, though it was tempting to finish the whole bottle with the way it was tasting. By the end of the meal, they both were pleasantly buzzed form both food and drink, and leaning on each other for support as they walked out of the restaurant. 

 "Since neither of us can drive in this state how about we take a walk." Regina offered as they made their way to the parking lot. The moon was high above them, but it was still warm out. The perfect weather for a walk. So without a word, Emma took Regina's hand let her lead them  down the sidewalk.

They wandered with in the night, silent, with no destination in sight for a long time. They came across a little garden area off the side of a library, so they  snuck inside and found the nearest bench. There, Regina unapologetically nestled her way into Emma's arms. She rested her head on Emma's chest and sighed as she got comfortable.

"Are you comfy?" Emma asked.

Regina hummed and nodded. "Yeah. This is perfect. I hope  this isn't too forward or anything it's just...well I've been waiting for this all night."

"Waiting for what?"

Regina looked up at her. "Waiting for the perfect moment. Stop me if I'm being too forward..."She cut herself off and slowly leaned up. To Emma's surprise, her body didn't hesitate to meet Regina. She leaned down and caught Regina's lips in a sweet kiss. It didn't last long. But it was perfect nonetheless. Like something from a movie. What with the fairy lights in the garden creating a beautiful scenery in the garden, and the taste of wine and chocolate cake on Regina's lips. "This night was beyond amazing." Regina confessed as she pulled away.. " I hope...well..do you think we could do it again some time soon?" Her voice was smaller than Emma had ever heard it before. It hurt to hear. So she pulled Regina closer and placed another kiss on her plump lips. 

"Of course we can. How about next Sunday? Maybe a picnic? We haven't gone on one of those in a while." Regina smiled up at her and nodded. She was starting to blush. 

"Sounds perfect. I can't wait." Regina cuddled into Emma's warmth once again, and the blonde gave her a tiny squeeze as she relished the feeling of Regina in her arms. Before long though, they knew they had to get going. Regina needed every hour of sleep she could get over the next few days. The shop would be opening the next week and with everything left to prepare, she couldn't afford a late night. They walked in companionable silence until they passed what looked to be a bar. Then they turned back around and were about to return back up the path when a voice called out from out the darkness. 

"Emma? Emma is that you?" Both women flinched at the sound of that all too familiar voice. Killian Jones. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...Killian's back...I wonder how Emma and the crew are going to react.


	9. Burning Bridges

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emma confronts Killian and the shop reopens.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was so frustrated with this one but I hope everything translates well. It's little shorter than I wanted but I hope you all like!

“Nope. I don’t have the time or the energy for this. Fuck off!” Emma shouted, not even turning around to look at the man.

The tension in her shoulders and the clench of her jaw revealed just how much of an effort she was making to restrain herself. Emma wanted to strangle him— beat him black and blue.But at the same parts of her — which were buried deep right now— wanted nothing more than to pull him into a tight hug. Despite all he’d done and all the damage he’d caused he’d once been one of her closest friends. Killian had once been someone she considered family. All he’d done didn’t take away from who he was to her. And for weeks she'd been unsure if he was alive or dead. So she hovered between an odd mix of anger and relief. 

“You both have every right to hate my guts right now.” Killian agreed as he hopped in their way, preventing them from leaving the path easily. Emma growled and took a threatening step forward. Regina sent him a glare. He held up his hands in surrender. “Or for the rest of eternity if you want. I can respect that. I fucked up worse than I ever have.  I haven’t come here to beg forgiveness. I don’t expect to be given any. I just— My sorry won’t do much for you I know that but—” 

Emma huffed and rolled her eyes. “I don’t have any more time for your bullshit Jones. I’ve had it up to _here_ with you. Get out of my fucking way.” She hissed.

Emma tried to return back up the walkway with Regina's hand in hers, but Killian followed and in the process walked right under the street light. He looked different. He looked…better all things considered. His clothes were clean and he didn’t wreak of booze—which was a nice change. His eyes were clear and he didn’t sway on his feet like he had before. ( _Sobriety looks good on him.)_ Emma could see Regina out of the corner of her eyes staring at him. A mix of rage and curiosity warring in her gaze. Emma could relate. She _wanted_ to feel nothing but hatred for Killian. But she just couldn’t muster enough energy or courage to fully hate him. Not after everything they'd been through. Not with the obvious difference in him now. The changes he made to be better. The person standing before them was the closest to the Killian of   _before_ that Emma had seen in the past several months.  _(_ He'd always been messy in a good way, rude and obnoxious in a way that endearing to a certain extent and above all—sharp as hell. It was nice to see him like this, even though it felt like the last time.) 

Killian reached out with something in his had. Emma flinched back, dropping Regina’s hand as her body reared up, preparing for an attack. Regina eyes widened at the action, but she wasn’t fast enough to stop her. The blonde pushed Regina behind her and pulled her fist back. With a power that had for a while been mostly disguised under baggy clothes and slightly softened by baked goods, she slammed her fist into Killian’s face. His nose crunched under it and blood covered it just before he stumbled back.

When he caught his breath and managed to get the blood out of his mouth, Killian chuckled. “I deserved that.”

“And more. So much more Killian. For fuck’s sake you could have killed someone!” Emma yelled.

“I could have—you’re right. And I’ll never be able to say sorry enough. The closest thing I could come up with was this.” He held up what looked to be an envelope. Emma ignored his outstretched hand and silenced him with her fist once again. It landed on his cheekbone with a sickening smack. When his head jerked back, she grabbed him by the collar of his shirt, and pulled him up to her height.

“I should beat your face black and blue. After all you did you have the nerve to show up here out of the blue and try to bring—What?!  A few dollars? I’m positive it’s not nearly enough to cover the extensive expenses you cost Regina! Or the money she lost during construction! So why the fuck would you go through all this effort to bring it?!”

“You’re right. It’s not nearly enough. But it’s all I’ve got. Like I said—I didn’t come here to beg for forgiveness. I don’t deserve it. I just wanted to bring this to you both before I left.”

“Left?! What the fuck do you mean leave?” Shame filled her at the tug of anxiety that made itself known behind her ribs at the thought of him leaving. _(What the fuck? I thought we're supposed to hate him? Why do not want him to go?_ ) **[Because he's of the last one left. If lose him we've failed.]**

“Let him go Emma. The faster you let him speak the fast he’ll leave.” Regina reached out to place a calming hand on Emma’s shoulder. Their eyes met and after a moment’s hesitation Emma released Killian. He adjusted his collar with a cough.

“As I was saying this—“ He slowly handed to envelope to Regina, who took it reluctantly. “is for you. I’m leaving Seattle for the foreseeable future. I’ve caused enough trouble here I think…and I know my presence with bring you nothing but pain.”

“Do you at least have a plan before you go galavanting off into the middle of nowhere?” Emma questioned, though her tone lacked the venom she wished it possessed.

“As a matter of fact I do. I met my soulmate—in rehab of all places of course—and we’re moving to California. He’s got family there and they’re willing to put us up for a few months while we search for jobs.”

Emma’s eyes widened at the news. “You’re serious?” That was the last thing she expected to hear. 

“As serious as a heart attack Swan. As you know…I fucked up for more than I ever thought was possible. I’ll never be able to apologize enough. Ever. The least I can do is bring a parting gift and get out of your hair for as long as you’d like.”

Emma didn’t know what to say in response. She wanted to yell at him. Scream that it wasn’t his place to decide what she wanted. That sending himself away was just an excuse to run away. But she knew better. In her heart of hearts Emma knew this was the best outcome possible. Killian could leave and get the help he needed—lead the life he deserved to live with his soulmate and a support system that wasn’t as emotionally compromised as she was.

As the internal dialogue raged on and consumed Emma's focus completely, Regina opened the envelope. At first she didn’t react to it—only staring at it in confusion—but after reading and re-reading it her eyes widened. Her mouth struggled to form words.

Killian shrugged in response and tried to sound nonchalant. (He failed. Hard. It was easy to see how desperate he is for Regina to accept his attempt at redemption.)

“It’s not much but it’s something. You deserve it…just like you deserve Emma. And Emma deserves you. Don’t think I didn’t see pit stop you made in that garden. You both were quicker than I expected but I know it’s easier when the territory is similar to your own.”Regina squinted her eyes in a silent and he held up his hands in surrender. “I’ll stop. I swear. I’m almost done love. Just…be gentle with her Regina. She’s been through enough.”

“It’s funny _you_ should say that. You know—considering how you basically leeched off her kindness for weeks. ” Killian’s cheeks burned with shame. “But…I appreciate this. Even if I still hate your guts and want to punch you—you didn’t have to do all of this. You could have just skipped town and not looked back…so yeah. I appreciate it. But don’t feel like this is an initiation to try and mend things. At least not yet when it comes to me.”

He chuckled. “I won’t. And if I wanted to start I most certainly won’t be starting tonight. I’ve got no time. Jeff and I are taking a train to California tomorrow morning. I’ve been looking for you lot for the past few days but couldn’t muster up the courage to go to the shop…I drove past there a few days ago. You cleaned up nice.”

“Thanks…You know..—-we could have friends I think…or at the very least friendly.. When you're sober I can kind of see why Emma bothered with you for long.”

“I think so too love. If only I hadn’t fucked it all up.” He sighed. True sadness shined past his arrogant mask. “ But you won’t have to worry about me for much longer. I’ll be gone before you know it.” 

“Do you think you’ll come back?”

Killian paused and thought her question over for a moment or two. “If life bring me this way. Maybe. Or if you need me.” He looked to Emma who only stared back at with an unwavering gaze. She was trying to look emotionless, but it was clear even in the darkness that her eyes were full of tears “…Those are the only reasons I’d come back. I think I’ve caused enough trouble here.” He gave her another sad smile.

His phone went off in his pocket, startling them all. 

“That’s my cue.” Killian explained. “I’ve got to get going to finish packing.” He saluted Regina then Emma.“It was nice seeing you Swan. Regina. Thanks for not killing me or hitting me too hard. If you need anything—anything at all—call the number on the envelope.”

“We probably won’t but thanks for the gesture.” Regina joked, earning a chuckle from Killian. He gave her a nod again, before beginning to walk off into the night, a slight limp in his step. But, just as was seconds away from being gone forever, Emma couldn't hold her facade. 

"Go say goodbye Em." Regina suggested. The blonde looked down at her soulmate and when she nodded in assurance, she pressed a kiss to her forehead. Then she ran after him. 

“Wait!” Emma called. Killian turned at the sound of her voice and she pulled him into a bear hug. “I still hate you.” 

“Not anymore than I hate myself Swanny.” He confessed in a small whisper.

Emma choked back a sob.“Take of yourself…Alright?” 

He nodded. Clearing his throat before letting go of her.

 

 

————

 

 

Regina ended up calling David. By the time they made it to the car, neither woman felt up to driving safely. Emma was emotionally exhausted, and Regina still hadn’t figured out how to drive a car without feeling like she was going to throw up.He was the only person who knew about their night out—Regina was in no mood to hear Ruby’s mouth about their date this early in the morning. By the time David’s truck pulled up, it was two a.m. They didn’t say much. All he had to do was see Regina and Emma tangled up in the backseat—Emma’s eyes red rimmed and her cheeks tear stained—to know that talking was not on the table today. 

He didn’t say a word outside of a quiet greeting as he drove them back. 

For days after that, Emma was sullen and withdrawn. Always in thought and more quiet than Regina had ever seen her. But by the time the reopening was upon them, she was back to her old self.

 

————

 

The week after the date was packed to the brim with preparations and last minute repairs. Regina, Henry, Graham and Emma were in the shop almost every day. And with any other group of people it would have been a tedious experience. But with them, it was more fun than it should have been.Once the coffee machines were up, Henry made coffee for everyone in the morning. Regina brought in leftover baked goods for breakfast. David would go out and get them lunch—though he’d always get distracted by Mary Margaret on the way out. (They had yet to say a word to each other, but they stared at each other for far longer than was considered appropriate.) Graham would bring dinner while Emma made sure Regina didn’t over extend herself.

They worked like a well oiled machine. 

The weeks dwindled down to days and before long, it was the day before the reopening. Most of the work had been done already, Henry was already at the shop when Regina and Emma came in. While Emma ran upstairs tow wake David up in the most obnoxious way possible, Regina ran to the back. 

“Good Morning Henry.” Regina greeted as she stepped inside. Her sudden appearance started him and he nearly fell out of his chair. Regina caught him by the sleeve of his shirt just in time. “You ok?” She asked. 

“Ye-yeah. I’m fine. Just lost in thought. That’s all. Sorry.” Henry stammered. 

Regina sent him a disbelieving look, but didn’t comment on his obvious lie. He looked like he hadn’t slept in days. And he was obviously trembling. “I get it. You’ve got a lot on your plate right now. It’s alright for you to be a bit jumpy now and then. But the second any of this starts affecting your schoolwork you quit. You can still come to the shop after school and I’m sure Graham would still be willing to tutor you in Chemistry. Then next summer you could work here for a little while before going off to college.”

He smiled at her words. She was mothering him again. But Henry didn’t try to stop her. He never did. “My grades are doing fine and the second they drop I’ll let you know.”  He assured her. “I’ve just…been a little out of it these past few days. But I’ll be fine.” 

Regina sat down beside him and bumped his gently with hers.  ( All the while, discreetly checking his face for evidence of more bruises.) “What’s going on? Whatever it is, you can tell me.”

He didn’t answer right away. But Regina had all day to wait. She was prepared wait all day for him if that’s what he needed. She reached out and took his hand gently, giving it a squeeze. Henry sighed and rested his head on her shoulder. 

“I’m worried.” He confessed. 

“Worried about what?” 

“I…I met my soulmate last week.”

Regina gasped and let a bright smile light up her face. “That’s wonderful! I’m so happy for you!” When he didn’t immediately respond with anything close to a positive response worry bloomed in Regina’s gut. “Is she that bad?”

Henry snorted. “No…they’re wonderful. It’s just…my dad.” Regina had yet to meet the man despite the fact that Henry had been working for her for nearly a year. Henry made it to and from work of own volition—outside of the days Graham took him home—and she knew the man had almost nothing to do with Henry's life.  She was not keen on meeting the man. She knew he was the one bruising Henry. She knew he was the one trying his damndest to crush Henry’s spirit every chance he got. “He…He’s not gonna like who they are…I’m afraid he’s going to do something…” He didn't have to finish for her to catch his drift. 

Regina took a few seconds to push back the rage she felt at his shaky tone. The way his hazel green eyes filled with tears at the very mention of his father. “Well…now that the apartment is fixed up I have a guest room open. I wouldn’t mind having a roommate again.” 

“I…are you sure? Because this is a serious possibility and I don’t want you regretting it if I actually have to—"

“I don’t say things I don’t mean Henry. And I’ve never meant anything as much as I meant this. Look at me.” She took him by the shoulders and forced to hold her gaze. Regina poured as much comfort and warmth as she could into her gaze. “You’re my family Henry. I don’t know how it happened but it happened. And I’ll do everything in my power to keep you safe. If that means keeping you in my available guest room then that’s what I’ll do. No matter what it is don’t hesitate to at least ask. Ok?”

A tear fell as he nodded. She pulled him into a hug before more fell. 

Something fell in the back room. Followed by loud arguing.  Regina huffed. “Can’t have a moment for two seconds before they fuck it up.” 

Henry chuckled and wiped the tears and snot off his face. “Yeah. Usually it’s me dropping things. I'm surprised it's the others this time.  We should go see what’s happening.” 

“You’re right. Come on.” Regina took Henry under her arm, and led him out of the kitchen.

\---------

 

The opening was a success.

Katherine, Ruby and Dorothy all took a day off to visit, but they could barely find seats with the amount of people crowded inside. It was a Saturday, so most of their loyal customers were back, as well as a few new faces as a result of the news segment. At first, at the sight of so many people— Regina had panicked. But within minutes she fell back into the natural flow of things. Especially with the presence of their new additions. Emma acted as the new janitor—no matter how much Regina complained or protested the blonde had insisted on helping day to day any way she could. Graham and Henry were with her for most of the day, until Henry had to clock out. That's when David stepped in.

He was a hit. Teenage girls flocked to his line and ordered multiples of everything to stay within a few feet of him. They stayed busy for almost the entire day. 

And when closing time came, Regina felt the constant weight that had been pressing on her shoulders cease. For the first time in weeks, she took a deep breath. 

 

 


	10. Insides Turned to Jelly.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Regina and Emma give love advice and Soulmates are found.

Regina and Emma sat on the new blue couch in the upstairs apartment, scarfing down falafel salads—and sandwiches in Emma’s case—and chatting between bites. Though soon, talking would be the last thing on their minds. Since that first date, they’d been on three more—all of them wildly successful. Each ended in almost the same way as the first (excluding Killian’s appearance of course) with their new favorite activity: making out like teenagers. Realistically, they were more so  making out like tentative sheltered teenagers, since even after their official ‘get together’ they were both still so unsure. And so cautious. It was still wonderful though, to be wrapped up in each other for what felt like hours, even if they ended up getting caught by Graham or David and yelled at for ten minutes. (Graham was beginning to get fed up with their shit. He would scowl at them whenever they got too close in his presence and even went as far as to throw muffins at them when they were seconds away from kissing. David thought it was adorable and made sure to coo and awe at them every chance he got.) 

“What do you think I should get next? I’ve got a couch now and a bed frame. What would a responsible, put together adult do next?” Emma asked. She took a bite of her sandwich and looked over at her companion.

Regina chuckled and wiped her mouth of the sauce that lingered onthe top of her lip. “This is your first apartment right?” Emma nodded. “Well the next logical step I think—and I know what you’re gonna say but hear me out—is a tv.”

Emma groaned and rolled her eyes at the suggestion. “I don’t want a tv! They’re so expensive and I’m not even here enough to get any use out of it. If I wanted to watch a show or a movie I’d just go to your place or put it on David’s laptop.”

“What about when David leaves?” Regina countered.

“He’s not going anywhere anytime soon.” Emma snickered.“Even though he’s never said a word to her, he’s _in love_ with Mary Margaret.  I seriously doubt he’d go back to Storybrooke just to be without her and in close proximity to  James and George.”

Regina silently conceded defeat (at least for now). She was secretly pushing so hard because she wanted to have movie nights and date nights in Emma’s space, though she felt too cowardly to out right admit it. Plus, It was a challenge to cuddle during a movie when said movie was on a laptop and Emma’s brother was ten feet away crunching loudly on chips and popcorn.  “Speaking of  Storybrooke—Have you talked to your mom yet? I know you talked about giving her a call a couple days ago.” 

Emma blushed and pulled her signature trick—stuffing her face to avoid talking to Regina and pretending she hadn’t heard her in the first place. Regina quietly sighed. “You _need_ to talk to her at some point Em. You’re doing great now and she deserves to know that. From I’ve gathered based on the stories you and David tell—not to mention how amazing you two turned out—she’s been a great Mom to you guys. She’s probably worried as hell about you. If you don’t want to have a full conversation I can understandthat but at the very least leave her a voicemail to let her know you’re alive.”

“David already did that for me.” Emma responded sheepishly. She took a swig of her drink before responding. “Besides—she deserves a little peace and quiet after all the hell I put her through. I’ll give her some more time and eventually make my way to the phone.” 

Regina scowled. “Don’t make me drag you to one of my groups Emma! You know just as well as I do that what you’re saying is the shittiest of excuses.”

“Yeah well—It’s my excuse and I’m sticking to it… for the time being. I just...need more time. And I don’t need to go to your support groups.” She finished the last bite of her sandwich and drank the last of her orange vanilla coke before standing. Then Emma pulled Regina close. So close that their noses touched. “All the support I need is right here. I don’t want to tell some strangers my life story and hear their condolences—it’s not my thing. Though I’ll go to support you.” Emma whispered then she pressed a kiss to Regina’s cheek. The brunette blushed.

“I’ll take that into consideration.” She responded in a quiet voice.

A timer went off outside the closed apartment door. Someone knocked—more like pounded—on it.

“I hope you two are decent! I need my eyesight and if I see you two liplocking one more bloody time I think I’ll go blind!” Graham cried. Regina rolled her eyes while Emma couldn’t hold back a loud laugh. 

“We’re fully dressed and fully decent Graham. We’re on our way out.” Regina replied in an amused tone. Beside her, Emma fell apart from the image of the several times she and Regina had been caught. The look on Graham’s face had been hysterical. The first time had been something akin to pure horror, while the subsequent times fell farther and farther away from it and further into the territory of despair.

“You’ve got five minutes before I barge in. The lunch crowd is here and Henry’s messed twice in ten minutes.”

 

———

 

The day went as expected from then on out. It was Saturday, so there were more people than usual though they handled it with expertise. The lunch crowd came and went—but even after, the shop was still busy. The shift  was going as usual—until just after five, when a young man walked in—a guitar strapped to his back—and Henry lost his shit.He dropped the drink he’d been making (which was thankfully a to-go order or else the cup would have shattered) and promptly sprinted from the room.All the employees watched him go, matching looks of confusion and concern on their faces. Regina was the first to act.

“David, can you take care of this for me please? I won’t be gone long—hopefully.” Regina asked. He nodded and took the warm cup from her hands just as she skirted around the station and headed towards the backroom. She found Henry hiding behind the kitchen island, right beneath a very confused Mary Margaret.

“Uh Henry? Are you ok?” She asked in that sugary sweet voice of hers. It still—after all this time—grated on Regina’s nerves. Regina cleared her throat at the door.

“I’ve got it Miss Blanchard. You can take a break for now.”

“But I need to roll these out before they melt—”

Regina sent her a fierce glare. “Now Mary!” She hissed. Mary Margaret took the hint finally and scrambled from the kitchen as fast as she could.

Regina took a deep breath and made her way slowly and carefully to the island. Henry still didn’t move, though she could see his skinny chest moving at a frantic pace. His t-shirt had stretched at the collar, and from this position she could see his soul words in bold, messy handwriting just above his collarbone. It said simply: **“Thank You. I like your…face.”**

She leaned down beside him and placed a hand on his back. “What’s goin on Hen?”

He swallowed and let out a shaky sigh. “He’s here.”

“Who’s here? Your dad?”

“No thank God! It’s Miguel! My soulmate! I accidentally told him where I worked yesterday and he made a comment about coming to check it out but I didn’t think he’d actually do it! Now he’s here and I don’t know what to do!” His breathing was speeding up and Regina could the tears threatening to spill over. She plopped down on the floor beside Henry and pulled him into her arms.

She shhed him as she rubbed up and down his arms to calm him. “It’s going to be ok Henry. The fact that he came all the way here means that he wants to get to know you. What’s so wrong with that?”

“What wrong with it?! What’s wrong with it is the fact that if I don’t know anything about romance! I don’t know how to woo him! I’m gonna fuck it up! And I don’t wanna fuck it up because I think he's really nice and his dimple is really cute and he plays guitar like he was born to do it and—”

  
“Language!” Regina scolded. Henry mumbled an apology and hid his face even more in his arms. “You’re gonna do fine. If you don’t..well…we’ll help you out…Maybe David more so than me though. You saw how long it took for Emma and I to get together and we’re still going at a snail’s pace. Are you nervous because you think he’ll be rude to you or something? Is he an asshole?”

“Noooo he’s perfect. He’s sweet and kind and passionate about his music and his  accent is so adorable but I—he—it’s not gonna work.” Henry whined.

“It won’t work if you don’t let it. You’re obviously interested in him and it’s obvious you two are more than just platonic soulmates. So you’ve already got an advantage. Just be yourself.”

“But I’m scared.” Henry whispered.

“And it’s ok to be scared. I’m still scared despite the fact that Emma and I have been friends for what feels like forever. It’s a scary thing to do—putting yourself out there for someone in that way. But it’s worth it. Start slow. Meet  after your shift and do homework together or something. Or we can figure something else out. You have options. Don’t shut him out. You deserve happiness kid.” She pulled him close and caught his head under her chin. “You’re gonna be fine Hen. I’m so happy you found him.”

He snuggled into her warmth and let his head rest on her chest for a few moments. “Me too…Thanks ‘Gina.” He whispered.

They sat in silence for a few moments as Henry got his breathing together and when he felt presentable enough Regina reluctantly released him.

“You better tell me about him soon. But for now wipe those tears away and go impress him with your barista skills.” She took a napkin from her apron and wiped his tears away. Then watched with pride as he strutted out of the kitchen, his head held high and a blush on his cheeks.

 

———-

 

Miguel came to the shop once a week at first. And every time he’d try not to stare at Henry but would end up failing miserably. It was adorable. Henry tripped over himself whenever he was near, and tried not to look his way often, but the others conspired to get them together as often as possible. David would trade Miguel’s orders off to Henry whenever he got the chance and on more than one occasion Regina would ‘accidentally’ send him over with a few cookies in the shape of a heart.

While they were playing around( enjoying watching young love bloom.)  Emma did some serious recon. Over the course of  two weeks Emma observed Miguel as best as she could. She wasn’t as close to Henry as Regina was but she cared for the kid a great deal and wanted to do everything she could to help. She started by observing him closely but from a distance. Then eventually working her way up to closer inspection. 

He spent most of his time at the shop doing homework and listening to music. Sometimes writing what looked like sheet music out on notebook paper. Or reading horror books.He was polite and sweet—evidenced by the fact that he helped Regina clean up a spilled cup of tea without hesitation. He was smart—evidenced by the AP books he studied. And most importantly—he was head over heels for Henry in the cutest way possible. In the way Emma thought only teenagers could be in movies.

So, her assessment concluded that he was a viable candidate for romance.

Just before five—Miguel’s usual time of appearance—Emma pulled Henry aside. “Are you free tonight?” She asked. 

He blinked at her in surprise then nodded. “Yeah—I mean I’d actually planned on going to the library to study for my chem test but I can put that to the side for like an hour or two. What’s up?”

“You need help in Chemistry. You should ask Miguel for help.”

His eyes widened and his cheeks turned bright pink. “I can’t! No way!—I mean—he probably doesn’t even want to—”

“He looks at you the entire time he’s here.” Emma revealed. “He looks at you like he’d love nothing more than to talk your ear off about any and everything. But you’re both too chicken shit to speak.” Henry’s mouth dropped in surprise and he blushed even harder.

For a split second Emma felt just a little bit guilty, but then Miguel came inwearing his signature red hoodie, jeans and squeaky clean sneakers. His guitar in its case, strapped to his back as usual. And when he caught a glimpse of Henry, he sent a warm smile his way. His dimple weakened  Henry’s knees and Emma had to cough to grab his attention again. “Here.” She grabbed an apple pie eclair and put it on a plate then handed it to the kid. “Go over and ask him if he’d be willing to help you out for a bit after your shift. It’s almost over and Regina and I will be in the back the entire time. You literally can’t say no kid.” She pushed him towards Miguel’s table.

He stumbled over, but after a moment or two of adjustment he gained some confidence. When his back was fully turned to Emma, Regina came out from the kitchen and ran to Emma’s side.

“How the hell did you manage to do it? I’ve been brainstorming ways to convince him this was a good idea since Miguel first showed up!” Regina whisper yelled.

Emma smirked and pulled her soulmate into her arms. “I’ve got skills babe.”

“Is that code for you forced him as gently as possible?” Regina questioned with a smile. Emma chuckled and nodded, earring her a quiet laugh from Regina.

There was a laugh from Miguel’s table, and the couple observed that Henry had taken a seat beside Miguel. They were sitting close, looking at a textbook and talking. Occasionally, Henry would look up at Miguel with wha could only be described at budding puppy love in his eyes. It was the cutest thing Emma’d seen all day. Regina even let out a quiet squeal at the sight.They stayed like that—going back and forth between studying and talking—for a few hours. At some point Regina snuck over and brought two to-go cups of hot chocolate with cinnamon (Henry’s favorite) and two tiramisu eclairs. They didn’t notice them at first, but eventually they chowed down and went into a discussion about their favorite desserts. They were blind to the rest of the world, wrapped up on only each other until Miguel’s phone went off at about nine.

He shot Henry an apologetic look before answering in Spanish. He talked for a few short minutes before hanging up.“My parents are looking for me. I’ll need to be heading home soon. I’ve had a really nice time though…maybe we can do this again some time soon?” He asked, his dimple peeked out as he spoke and his accent was thick. Henry melted at his hesitant words then nodded. 

“I had a great time to. Yeah—I’d like to do this again…Maybe next time you come in?”

Miguel smiled again and nodded. “I’d love to. _Buenas Noches Henry_.” He whispered before leaning in and pressing a kiss Henry’s cheek. Henry was frozen in place as Miguel walked out of the shop. When the door closed and Miguel was a safe distance away, the employees all fell into thunderous applause and cheers.

 

 

———-

 

Miguel became an even more regular visitor after that, and soon he and Henry took their study sessions up in the apartment with Emma’s blessing. More often than not though, their ‘studying’ would turn into Miguel serenading Henry. His skillful guitar playing and stunning voice could be heard from almost every inch of the shop. Every time they heard it, Regina, Graham David and Emma high-fived. They felt that all their hard work had payed off. Henry had been so desperate in the first few study sessions to make a good impression. So he’d taken ‘classes’ of sorts on flirting with David and Emma and some basic Spanish with Regina. His delivery was a little clumsy and bashful, but it was just on the right side of trying too hard that it ended up being adorable. And Miguel seemed to appreciate it if the way he came back every week with a different song written about 'pretty eyes' or 'clumsy loves' was anything to go by. (He was sneaky. He wrote them all in Spanish, knowing full well that Henry barely knew it and wouldn’t think that any of  them were about him.  But Regina heard and it made her giddy)

 

 

———

 

A few weeks later just before Regina officials opened the shop, Henry came rushing in, backpack half open and a panicked look on his face. Regina’s assumed the worst. She ran to him and tried to look for any bruises (they’d tapered off mostly since the first incident, but now and then—especially after a study session—Regina would see them and her heart would hurt.) But found no new ones.

“What’s wrong?” She asked.

“Miguel asked me on a date!” Henry almost screamed.

“I’m sorry what?”

“Miguel! My soulmate! He asked me on a date and I don’t have anything to wear!I can’t ask my dad because he’ll freak and I need you to teach me more Spanish so I can say cute things. Please Regina! I’ll do whatever you want! I’ll clean the shop for a month or six if that’s what you want! I just need your help!”He shouted. Regina thanked the lord that no customers were in yet. They'd all be disturbed by the desperate nature of his pleading.

“Calm down Hen. You don’t have to barter with me. I’m going to help you because I like you. ” (Her mind screamed love. Because in truth she loved the kid like some mix between her brother and her son. Though she felt it would be weird to say it out loud.) “What time is the date and where is it?”

“It’s tomorrow night at a fancy restaurant down town. Apparently he’s been saving up for weeks and wanted to splurge for your first date.”

Regina couldn’t help but squeal. “Ohhh that’s so cute.”

“It is isn’t it.” Henry blushed and scratched the back of his head. “I can’t wait. But it’s a suit and tie type of joint. And I don’t have a suit or tie. Or even dress shoes.”

“Lucky for you I just so happen to have a connection at Madam Garderobe’s shop.” David called from the back room. He came out holding boxes of metal straws and plopped them on the ground beside the counter. Someone would surely trip over them but Regina was too focused on David's offer to care. “We can all go their after your shift if you want. My treat.”

“David—you’re kidding right? That’s too much!” Henry exclaimed.

“No it’s not. Belle will help us get the best deal out there—she owes me a favor. Just count it as a…birthday gift or something. I don’t know. Just be ready by eight.”

“Ready for what?” Graham and Emma asked at the same time, as they came out of the apartment carrying down the remnants of their breakfast.

“We’re taking Henry shopping for his date tomorrow. You guys should come.” David offered as he wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. Henry groaned and slapped a palm on his forehead.

“I already regret asking you to help me.” He muttered.

“You didn’t ask—I offered—besides you’ll thank me when Miguel kisses you senseless when he comes to pick you up.” David teased. Henry blushed and ran as fast as he could to the kitchen, bumping into Mary Margaret on the way in. She stumbled—almost choking on her blueberry scone— and tripped over the box of metal straws right into David’s arms.

They both looked at each other with wide eyes. Then David caught sight of the familiar scone in her hands. His scone. The one Regina had made for him as a bribe to leave the apartment so she and Emma could get some alone time. The one that went missing from the employee refrigerator. He’d placed a note on the empty plate  simply said “I will find you!!!” with a menacing frowny face. But he’d thought for sure that Graham had been the thief. Not Mary Margaret.

David cleared his throat. “I told you I’d find you.”

She glared at him and scoffed. Everyone sent her a shocked look. None of them really got the chance to get to know her. She was too busy either in the kitchen or studying for some test in the kitchen for much conversation. The attitude was the last thing they were expecting from a Disney princess look-a-like.  “Is this only way you can catch a woman—by entrapping her?” She snapped. Though her words weren't sharp enough to really sting. Emma’s jaw dropped when they registered. Those words were all too familiar. 

Mary Margaret sent a pointed look to the boxes of metal straws.“I know for a fact you set those there. Was this all an elaborate scheme to find the thief of your scones?” She sighed. “If it means that much to you I’ll buy you another one.”

He smiled down at her, and brought her up to a standing position. “Apparently it was all some unintentional scheme in one way or another. But not to find the scone thief.

“To find what then?” Mary Margaret asked.

“My soulmate.” He pulled up his shirt and showed her the words in a flowery, perfect script on his ribs. They all gasped while Emma couldn’t help but let out a loud.

“No fucking way!”

 

 

———

 

When nine o’clock came around, David was hesitant to leave Mary Margaret’s side. But no amount of pleading would stop her from going home for the night. She had a test to study for and wouldn't risk her grade to go out with them so late. David was sulky and a tad bit withdrawn after she left, but he led them to Belle’s spot in the shop quickly. She was much more beautiful than Regina had expected—petite with chestnut brown hair and bright blue eyes—and she could see the second they stepped in that Graham had eyes for her. He practically stopped breathing when he caught sight of her and followed her around like a puppy from then on out. Even when she tried to leave to find suits she thought would fit Henry on short notice—he stopped her.

“I uh I’ll help you. If that’s alright. Not that you can’t do this on your own—I’m sure you’re on experienced professional it’s just…uh..” He was lost for words as he met her eyes.

She smiled up at him—a knowing glint in her eyes. “Sure. I’d like that.”

It didn’t take long for Graham and Belle to come back with a few selections. Though all of them were just a tad bit too big on Henry’s skinny frame.He tried them all on and eventually found a navy blue one with a black bowtie that he loved. They settled on that. It was fifty percent off with Belle’s help and a number of coupons David stashed away for a rainy day—so the suit came out to be fifty dollars, which Regina promptly payed for before Henry could try and complain.

On the way out, Belle slipped Graham her a piece of paper and kissed his cheek just before whispering in his ear. He blushed—Regina almost passed out at the sight of it. She’d never seen Graham blush before—and nodded before heading out the door with the others.

“What was that about?” Henry asked as they made their way to Graham’s car.

“Uh…She’s my soulmate….I said her words..She said mine—even though I didn’t realize it.”

They all gasped and nearly stopped in the middle of the street. 

Today had been like  a lifetime movie—everyone finding their soulmates and shit—but Regina couldn't find it in her to complain. Not when the people closest to her are beaming with happiness. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was nervous about Henry's pairing for so long. I didn't know who for sure I wanted him to be with, then I made the mistake of listening to the work of art that is the Coco soundtrack and got hooked on the idea of Henry being serenaded by his soulmate. Hope you all enjoyed this and have a good weekend!


	11. Call Me the One.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emma has a nightmare and Katherine has a Christmas party.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so happy I was able to get this up! I haven't been feeling well for the past few days and was so scared I wouldn't be able to finish this today, but by some miracle it happened and it's actually decent. Enjoy!

A whimper echoed from the living room. At the sound, Regina spun around. It was the dead of night—more like early morning truthfully—and she’d only just left the safety of Emma’s arms after a late night of movie watching to test out a new recipe. Katherine’s annual Christmas party was right around the corner and this year Regina had been hired to make a few desserts. So of course, Regina’s too much gene forced her to meticulously go over recipes until she found the perfect one.She’d dreamt this one up, and the second it was fully formed she jumped out of Emma’s embrace and ran into the kitchen. She’d just been mixing up batter for the vanilla spice cake and folding in the allspice when she heard Emma. It wasn’t an unusual occurrence for the two of them to have nightmares or for them to be a little loud but this time her stomach rolled. ( _Something's wrong._ ) Her mind hissed. 

Regina abandoned her batter quickly. Before she could blink she was in the living room, kneeling beside Emma as she lay on the couch. Vincent had beaten her to the punch though, perching his fat little body on the arm of the couch just above Emma’s head and occasionally batting at her forehead to try and wake her. But his efforts weren’t working. Emma was too far in her subconscious to feel anything. And that worried Regina.Emma was a light sleeper. So much so that they’d resorted to locking Vincent out of Regina’s room when she slept over (A very new development. They hadn’t yet progressed past the usual making out sessions, but it was getting harder and harder to stop.) because every time he got up to use the litter box, or run around the house like a madman at 2 a.m, Emma would jolt awake. 

All that to say, the fact that she was sleeping so soundly and not reacting to his little paws was the worst of red flags. Regina crept closer. She brushed a stray hair off of Emma’s forehead with gentle precision. She was sweating profusely and her breathing was labored.

“Emma?” Regina whispered. No response. She got an inch or two closer to her soulmate. Her own heart sped up as Emma whimpered again. She flinched away from whatever assailant Regina couldn’t see. “Em? It’s me—Regina. You’re in my apartment. Safe. Wake up love.” Regina caressed Emma’s cheek and leaned closer again. Her words were a tad bit louder than they had been before. She didn’t want to scare the blonde. But it seemed she failed.

All at once, in a split second Emma’s breath ceased. Her eyes snapped open. Regina's heart dropped to the floor. They were unfamiliar. Cold. Detached. Regina had never seen her like that. So...gone. She imagined this was how Emma felt during the time's she'd go away. Her heart ached. Then Emma moved. If Regina hadn’t anticipated her movement, she would have been sent flying back with a bloody nose. But she jumped back just in time and rolled away when the blonde tried to advance again. Emma picked up a lamp from then table and ripped it out of the socket, brandishing it like a weapon as she moved towards Regina.

“Emma?!” Regina cried. Emma flinched at the sound of her name and she froze. Lamp still in her hands. Her eyes were vacant, lifeless, but Regina could see her hands trembling. Could see the fear written plane as day over her face. “Emma? It’s me! Regina! You’re safe love. Can you look at me?” She tried again. Slowly—so very slowly—Regina got up off the floor and moved closer. She inched forward—very much aware of the lamp and how easily Emma could crack it against her skull at any second. Vincent meowed in distress behind them but Regina didn’t take her eyes off Emma.

“Emma?” Regina took a step closer. When the blonde didn’t flinch, Regina moved as close as she dared. They were inches apart. Emma’s eyes—usually so bright and alert. So full of life and intelligence—were still vacant. But Regina could see the struggle behind them. She gulped and reached a shaking hand out to touch her soulmate’s cheek. Emma shivered. She melted into the warmth of Regina’s hand and pressed her cheek closer. The lamp came down slowly.

“Regina?” a hoarse voice asked. Emma looked down at her, her eyes finally becoming clear. Though confusion was starting to cloud them.

Regina let out a laugh that was a cross between a sob. “Yes love. It’s me.” She replied. 

Emma wobbled on her feet for a moment but before she could collapse, Regina caught her. And with her soulmates unspoken unyielding support and her warm arms wrapped around her, Emma broke. She pulled Regina close, pressing her face into her neck and burying her own face in Regina’s hair. Regina led them back over the couch, trying her best the entire way to ignore the tears that were quickly hitting her shirt and keep her composure. They found the couch quick enough.Vincent jumped out of the way just in time to not get squashed by Emma. And he was just quick enough to avoid Emma’s legs as she threw them up over the side. When Regina’s legs followed, he abandoned the couch all together and sat on the chair across from it, watching them embrace with a worried stare.  

 After a few minutes of silence—the only sounds in the room being the labored sound of Emma’s breathing and the occasional sniff—Emma found the strength to speak. 

“I’m _so sorry_!” She whispered against the crown of Regina’s head.

“It’s fine Emma. You didn’t hurt me.” Regina replied.

“I could have hurt you! I was seconds away from hurting you!  I’ll leave in a minute. Just let me get my legs under me.”

( _What?!)_ “What?! Leave? Why the hell would you leave?” Regina questioned in a tone a few octaves higher than her normal one.

“Because it’s obviously not safe for me to be around you right now.” Emma replied. Her entire being radiated with sorrow and regret. And Regina couldn’t stand it.

She sat up, in the process straddling Emma’s waist. The blonde gulped under her. “You’re not going anywhere. I’ll be damned if I let you out of my sight in this state. If you really need to leave or really need some time alone you can take my room and I’ll stay out here. But I’d be a horrible soulmate if I let you leave like this.”

Emma sighed under her, bringing her hands up to rest on the small of Regina’s back. She rubbed the small strip of exposed skin there and finally—-after a period of internal conflict— surrendered. “Fine. But I’m not going back to sleep.”

“Ok. How about you I make you a cup of chamomile tea to calm you down? It always helps me. And don’t you dare say you don’t need to calm down. I can feel your heart beating like a jack rabbit’s from here.” Regina suggested. She knew Emma was still distressed over the whole situation. And she hoped the tea would help her calm down enough to see that she hadn’t done anything wrong. That it had all been an accident. The last thing Regina wanted for Emma to spend the next few hours stewing in self hatred.

She hopped off of Emma’s lap carefully and ran into the kitchen to put the kettle on.

 

 

————

 

They sipped chamomile tea together on the couch, cuddling as much as they could with hot tea cups in their hands. After the tea was sipped and Emma finally surrendered to the calming siren song of Regina’s presence, Regina hesitantly spoke.

“Will you ever tell me?” She asked quietly.

“Tell you what?” Emma replied.

“What keeps you up at night? You know all about my stuff but I still don’t know about yours…I’m worried Emma.”

“Worried about what?” Emma asked, though she knew full well what Regina was referring to. At even the implication of it, her heart began to speed up to a dangerous speed once again. She’d managed to avoid talking about it for months, she sure as hell didn’t want to start now. She didn’t want Regina to look at see her like the monster she was.

“Worried that you don’t have anyone to talk to about what happened. If it’s not me that’s fine—I can understand that—but I just wish you’d open up to someone. I know the bare minimum and I’m sure Ruby knows more but you barely talk to her outside of the check-ins. And I can’t help but to want you to have someone to talk to. I want to help you be as healthy as you can.” The pain in her voice stung Emma.

“You're helping just by being here.  If you keep doing that I’ll be fine.” Emma’s eyes scanned behind her in search of some distraction. She didn’t want to have this discussion—ever. Regina didn’t deserve to carry the burden that the knowledge of Emma’s actions would bring. 

She spotted a bowl of something on the kitchen counter. A few other ingredients were out, suggesting Regina had been baking something before Emma had interrupted.

“What were you baking?” Emma asked lightly. She knew Regina would get lost on a tangent about some cake or another. They’d have to talk at some point, but it could wait.

“Oh, just trying out this recipe I thought of for Katherine’s Christmas party. It’s a two layer, vanilla spice cake with a cranberry filling and vanilla cinnamon buttercream frosting. Oh! You should help me make it! That would be so fun!” Emma knew that once Regina got an idea in her head, that there wasn’t a force in this world that could stop her from achieving it. So she could do nothing but chuckle as Regina dragged her to the kitchen.

They both knew it was an attempt at a distraction. But neither cared. It was still wonderful to spend time together—even if it as 3 am and they had to get up for work in three hours. 

 

 

———-

 

The cake was done just before the alarm—still the majestic kazoo rendition of Evanescence’s Bring Me to Life—went off. Regina brought it down to the kitchen to ice after it fully cooled. She got the chance during a lull in service. Mary Margaret tried to offer her help, but Regina refused it. She wanted to play around and test out decorations for the real thing. She settled on something minimalistic, a light coating of the icing, a careful handful of gold sprinkles and a sprig or two of fake twigs for aesthetic. Just as she finished though, the lunch crowd arrived. So she set it on a cake stand and placed a glass top on it, silently promising to force someone to try it.

 

 

———-

 

“So, what do you think?” Regina asked. Emma, Henry, and Miguel sat around a table in the shop. Miguel had just arrived for his usual study session with Henry, but with the others off with their respective soulmates (Regina was truly happy for them. But damnit she wished they would clear their very busy schedules for one damn day so she could force some cake into their mouths.) she’d been forced to resort to begging both him and Henry to stay downstairs long enough to try the cake.

The little group was silent as they all adjusted to the taste. Miguel gave his opinion first.

“It’s really good Regina! I like it a lot. I’m usually not a fan of the cranberries, but this is very tasty! Would you mind if I took a few pieces back to _mi familia_? I think they’d love it.” Miguel questioned. Regina preened under the praise and blushed the tiniest bit.

“Of course you can. I’ll grab you a few to go containers once you and Henry are done studying. Let me know what your family thinks of them alright?”

He nodded with a small smile. Henry cleared his throat and gave his opinion next. “ _¡Muy bien!_ ” He exclaimed. Both Regina and Miguel cheered at his proper pronunciation. “I like it. It’s simple but has just enough kick to make me feel warm. I can already imagine this with a cup of egg nog. Heaven!”

“Yeah.” Emma agreed, her brow was furrowed as she took another bite. She looked dead serious as she gave her opinion. “All the flavors are spot on. Not too much of anything. It’s moist but doesn’t weld my mouth shut. 10/10.” 

Regina chuckled at her very serious response. “Thanks Paul Hollywood. Your feedback is much appreciated.” All of them snorted at the comment. “Seriously though. Thanks for this guys. I know you have more important things to do than to taste my cake. I just want to make sure someone other than me likes it. Katherine wouldn’t hesitate to murder me if her guests hated their desserts. Speaking of that—before I forget.”

Regina ran to her purse—which had been stashed under the barista station that David used for safe keeping—and sifted through to find the invitations Katherine had given her just the other day. But instead of pulling out white and gold enveloped with red writing, Regina pulled out the envelope she’d been avoiding looking at for weeks.

Killian’s. She still didn’t know what was in it. She hadn’t bothered to open it. The mystery surrounding its contents was enough to keep her away. Regina had enough on her plate with the shop keeping her busy during the day and Emma keeping her busy during the night. Not to mention Henry’s worsening situation. He wouldn’t outright admit, but Regina could see the way he limped into the shop the day after the study sessions. She could see the concealer on his face. But no matter how many times she offered her guest room, he refused.It could be money for all she knew, but she didn’t want to take the chance of it being something that would add even more unnecessary drama to her life.  She stuffed it back into her bag and pulled the invitations out instead. 

She returned to the little table with a bright smile, but she could see the way Emma doubted the validity of it. “Katherine has formally invited you two to her Christmas party. It’s at her house, and since neither of you have a car I’d totally be willing to take you if that’s what you want. Just show up at my apartment or here by five.” She handed them both the sparkly invites. They both smiled down at them, noting that Katherine had actually taken the time to put their names on them. 

“Do we need to bring anything?” Miguel asked. 

Regina shook her head. “No. Just wear a cute outfit—something fancy preferably. Katherine likes to go all out. But if you don’t have anything fancy don’t worry about it. And Miguel, if your parents have any questions just make sure to get my phone number from Henry for them.” 

He nodded. “Got it. Thanks.” 

They chatted for a few more minutes, before Henry and Miguel retreated upstairs. When they were gone, Emma helped Regina bring the rest of the cake into the kitchen to cut. As she cut carefully and distributed the pieces into the to-go containers, Emma took a seat behind her. 

“You still haven’t opened it?” 

“And you still haven’t opened up?” Regina winced at her words and tone. There was no need to be so combative. “I’m sorry. That was unnecessary…I just—yes. I haven’t opened it. And I don’t plan on opening it any time soon.”

“Don’t apologize. You’re right to push back when I have yet to talk to you really.’ Emma stood and came behind Regina, wrapping herself around the brunette and taking her hands into her own. “I just…I’m afraid you’ll look at me different if I opened up…What happened was…far from pleasant.” Emma confessed quietly.

“I gathered as much considering you were discharged from a job you loved very much and did successfully for many years. And you were honorably discharged which from my understanding means you didn’t do anything horribly wrong.” 

“That’s not true.” 

Regina sighed and turned around. She let Emma’s arms stay  on her waist, but she threw her own around the blonde’s neck. “I know you Emma. Maybe I don’t know every part of you—yet—but I know enough to know you are a good person. An amazing person who wouldn’t do anything evil unless she absolutely had to. I trust you…and I’m already 95% in love with you. So nothing” She pressed her forehead to Emma’s. “ _nothing_. With change that.”

Regina pressed a sweet kiss to her soulmate’s lips, but when she tried to pull back Emma pressed forward and deepened it. They were lip-locked for who knows how long, trading progressively intensifying kisses until the kitchen door opened. 

“I LEAVE FOR FIVE MINUTES AND YOU TWO CAN’T RESIST SUCKING EACH OTHER’S BLOODY FACES OFF. DAMMIT!” Graham screamed, while David’s laughter echoed behind him. 

 

 

———-

 

Katherine’s Christmas party was upon them before they knew it. It took place a week before Christmas, so with all of the Christmas prep on top of the prep for the party, time flew by.

The morning of the party was full of nothing but pastries. Even Emma—who as everyone knew by now was shit at baking—was pulled into assisting. They just barely managed to get everything together in enough time to get ready. Regina took over the bathroom while Emma took her own bedroom. The brunette had slept over the night before—and to Emma’s gratefulness was too exhausted to notice that her soulmate hadn’t slept a wink for fear of waking up in the grips of a nightmare again—and brought her clothes thankfully. 

It didn’t take long for Emma to get dressed. She’d picked out a black jumpsuit that was off the shoulder, a gold choker necklace with Regina’s initials on it (an early Christmas gift from Ruby. It had been meant as a joke, but Emma had been so in love with it she didn’t dare let the other woman consider taking it back) and tall red heels. She was a bit out of practice in the heel department but she didn’t dare wear flats. Katherine would skin her alive. She did her hair up in a fancy half up half down style with a little braid in the front (Dorothy had suggested it the night before and after much practice Emma managed to make it look decent.) Her makeup was natural as usual, but she popped on a red lip to switch it up. By the time she was done, Regina was still finishing up her makeup, so Emma took it upon herself to being packing up the cookies, cakes and pies.

A million and one minutes later, Regina stepped out of her bathroom.At the sight of her, Emma nearly dropped the bag of carefully packed desserts. Regina rushed over. “Are you ok darling?” She asked. 

Emma nodded silently and gulped. “I’m fine just…you look fucking gorgeous.” Regina blushed and gave a small shy smile. 

“Thanks Em. You do too. I think this is the first time I’ve seen you in heels.” She looked Emma up and down and when she got back up to her eyes—which were still staring at Regina’s exposed cleavage—she blushed again. 

Emma felt ridiculous staring at Regina like she was some unexperienced, uncontrolled teenage boy. But it was hard to look away when she looked like a goddess. Her dress was a rose gold color, with cap sleeves and layers on the bottom. Varying shades of gold glitter covered very strategic places and with the dip of the neckline combined with the kissable look of her plump gloss covered lips, Emma was having a hard time keeping her hands to herself. She quit trying after a few seconds, and dropped the bag of goodies carefully. Once it was secure she pulled Regina close to her by the waist and plunged headfirst into the most delicious of kisses. (She even let her hands wander a bit, dipped to graze at Regina’s impeccable ass. She got a small moan in response.)

Someone knocked on the door.

“Are you guys ready?” Henry’s voice asked. “You’re supposed to be there in twenty minutes.” 

Reluctantly, Emma pulled away. Both of them were breathing heavily, but Emma managed to get herself together enough to respond to Henry as Regina reapplied her lipstick and gloss. 

“We’re ready. Come on in.” She called. 

Henry and Miguel wasted no time in busting in. They both looked dapper. Miguel in a burgundy suit with a nice black tie, and Henry in a black suit with a flashy red bow tie with gold stars. They held hands as they walked in and Emma saw the flash of gold on both their wrists. A simple gold band bracelet. ( _Too cute_.) 

“You want us to take this to the car while you guys lock up?” Henry asked. 

“That would be perfect actually. But leave the blue one.” She pointed to the case that had the layered cake in it on the kitchen island. “I’ll carry that in my lap.” 

 

 

 

———-

 

The party was a blast and a half. Katherine knew how to throw a party for sure. Everyone they knew—as well as plenty they didn’t—was in attendance. And most of them were staring at Regina. (or at least Emma thought. How could they not when she looked so stunning?) They met up with Dorothy and Ruby, met Katherine's new (not so new now) boyfriend and soulmate Jim.The desserts were a hit. By six most of them were devoured and threw the rest of the party most of the guests were still raving about the magnificent flavors.The praise was just enough to get Regina to loosen up. She’d been so tense at the start of the event, but by the two hour mark and after a glass or two of wine she was languidly dancing against Emma, giggling and cracking jokes as often as she could. Emma found it adorable. 

She twirled Regina and brought her back, with her back up against her chest. Emma kissed the juncture between her neck and shoulder. “Are you having fun babe?” 

Regina shivered in pleasure. “Yes. Lots of fun. Are you?” 

“Yes actually. I thought I’d been really stressed out with all these people around but with you in my arms everything else kind of melts away.” Emma pressed her closer and kissed her neck gently, siphoning a giggle from her love. As they danced, Emma’s eyes caught Dorothy and Ruby in the corner of the room. They were kissing and laughing—somehow managing to look even more sappy than Regina and Emma. Emma pretended to gag. “Never mind. I guess my mind can’t block out Ruby and Dorothy’s disgusting display.” 

Regina opened her eyes to look and couldn’t help but laugh at Emma’s comment. “Fine. If they’re so much of a distraction lets take a break from dancing. Get some fresh air.” Regina suggested. 

“Sounds great.” Emma replied.

Regina unwrapped herself from Emma’s embrace and led her out to the terrace. They stood just outside the door, enjoying the view of Katherine’s little garden and the beautiful night sky. It was divine, just enjoying each other’s company like this.  

Then Emma noticed the mistletoe. It was right above their heads, perfectly placed as if someone had put it there for them. She looked down at Regina.

"You know what that means."

Regina laughed. "Yes, I know what that means. And I can't wait. I can never get enough of your kisses my love Come here." She pulled Emma close and into a kiss that somehow stayed mostly chaste. Emma relished Regina’s soft lips, and the taste of her own natural flavor mixed with cinnamon, vanilla and the sweet wine. She was perfect. The moment was perfect. Everything was perfect. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!


	12. That Time of Year.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Christmas Day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was so hard to write. Fuck. I still am so nervous about this one. I hope you enjoy!

Emma woke Christmas morning to an empty bed. Not an unusual occurrence in years past, but this year she'd  been lucky enough to find the woman of her dreams. And after much struggle surrendered to the love that brewed between them. So, right now she should be fulfilling her duty of big spoon and wrapping herself aroundRegina, _not_ Vincent.She rubbed his belly anyway though and kissed his furry head when he purred in response. 

“Merry Christmas buddy.” Emma whispered. He purred louder, and nudged his head into her hand. They spent a few minutes cuddling, enjoying each other’s company in a way that was so rare. Vincent had a habit fo still being a little shit to anyone not Regina—(Emma would secretly never forgive him for shitting in her shoes after a small argument between her and Regina. The argument has lasted all of ten minutes but he’d been present. He was apparently a grudge holder)—but with Emma basically spending her nights at Regina’s, he was coming around to her. Regina’s bedroom door creaked open. In stepped the owner of the room herself, dressed in nothing but a comfy oversized lavender sweater as a dress and thigh high socks. In her hands were a tray of what looked like hot chocolate and….( _Is that Gingerbread?_ ) 

Regina smiled at her. “Merry Christmas sweetheart. You feeling up to breakfast in bed?” 

“Of course.” Emma motioned for Regina to come closer, and without hesitation the brunette did. Emma’s suspicions were confirmed as Regina sat beside her. The brunette had spent one of her only days off rolling out gingerbread dough and baking what looked like the perfect tray of gingerbread cookies. They were perfectly decorated and looked like something that would have been sold at the shop. Beside them, sat cinnamon chocolate chip pancakes and hot chocolate.  

After one bite and Emma couldn’t hold back the blissed out moan. “You’re a saint.” She moaned

Regina laughed at response and a took a bite for herself. "I don't know about that but thank you. I’m glad you like it.” 

They ate without much drive. Slowly and surely for once. They didn’t have anywhere to go today— which was a miracle in and of itself—so they made a point to laze about. David had taken Mary Margaret home to meet their Ma, Graham was with Belle and her family, Katherine was in New York with her family, and Ruby and Dorothy were in Bora Bora (as they always were any time the weather got cold). While Emma had declined to go with David and Mary Margaret this time, she made sure to send her Ma very special gift and even made a promise to herself to call her by the end of the day. Breakfast was a comfortably quiet affair. Regina and Emma chatted quietly between bites and cuddled the entire time. When the plates and mugs were cleared and emptied they begrudgingly made their way out of bed. 

It wasn’t exactly cold in Seattle this year. Emma was so used to white christmases, that waking up to the blanket off her legs and a little bit of sweat building on her forehead had been a shock. Not to mention the fact that pants felt like a sin at the moment. Just the feel of their fabric on her skin made her flop around in discomfort.  ( _We_ _could get used to this though…If she’s here._ ) Emma’s mind assured her as she wrapped her arms around Regina’s waist. Regina’s back was to her, and she was attempting to wash the dishes, but when her hands came in holding distance of Emma’s, the blonde took them. 

“It’s Christmas pay attention to me!” Emma whined like a child. She even poked out her lip, though Regina couldn’t see it. The brunette laughed at her antics but let her take her hands.

“Em I’ve got to get this done before the syrup sticks. You know how much I hate that.”

“You’re right—I do know how much you hate it. And _you_ know just how much _I_ hate not having all your attention when I absolutely need it. And I don’t absolutely need it often. But right now— during our first Christmas morning together after a spectacular breakfast in bed made by the world’s greatest baker—I _need_ it.”

Regina laughed again and spun around to wrap her arms around Emma’s neck. Emma wasted no time gripping her waist and hoisting her up to the nearest clean surface. For once Regina didn’t object and let Emma place her on the kitchen counter and kiss her silly. When they came up for air, she let her breaths puff against Emma’s cheek as she struggled to speak. “You’re lucky I don’t have anymore baking planned for the day. I’d hate to have to clean the counter off.” Emma pressed kisses up Regina’s neck and hummed just beside the spot under her ear that made her shiver.

“Oh hush. You won’t hate it in a minute, when I’ve got you so floating so high you won’t even remember your name.” 

Regina pulled her away and looked her in the eyes. A challenge and a bit of a tease shined in them. “Is that a promise?” Emma gazed back—projecting her answer as best as she could. Regina relented with a quiet laugh, pulling her love back. 

They fell into a heated exchange of kisses then. Only the occasional quiet moans and wet sounds of their soon to be kiss bruised lips breaking through the fog of want and love (though both were too afraid to give the feeling _that_ name) that filled the kitchen. They’d never gotten this hot and heavy before. Ironically enough, all the times they’d shared a bed had somehow always divulged into something so intimate and _pure_ that sexy thoughts just weren’t invited. But they were certainly invited right now. Even if it was Christmas morning—No— _especially_ because it was Christmas Morning.

Their very first Christmas Morning together.

The heat didn’t cease. It only grew. And before she realized it, Emma was lifting Regina again—this time by the backs of her thighs—and taking her over to the couch. She dropped her gently, and followed quickly, not letting her body disengage from Regina’s for more than a second. Regina didn’t skip a beat, pulling Emma in-between her legs and holding her close. She tried to initiate another kiss, but Emma pulled back slightly. She was out of breath but managed just barely to speak. “We have to stop soon ‘Gina.”

“Why? What if I said I didn’t want to stop?” Regina asked.

Emma’s eyes widened—she was sure she looked like a deer in headlights—but she couldn’t find it in herself to care. Not when the prospect of feeling Regina’s slick walls around her fingers, her tongue—( _Fuck!)_ was so close. Her mind went blank.

 

 

——

 

Regina could see the moment her words caught up to Emma. Her eyes glazed over with lust. They darkened a shade. Regina held back a whimper at the sight.She pressed her palm to Emma’s cheek and pushed her to lock eyes.“I want you Emma.” Regina assured her in her most sincere tone. She’d been thinking of this for weeks now but no time outside of this felt right enough.

There would be no better moment than this one.

Her confirmation spurred Emma on. Before Regina could say another word Emma’s lips were on hers. Then hands were everywhere all at once. Overwhelming her in the best way. Both of their clothes were on the floor in the blink of an eye. Emma’s hands were calloused, warm and so very gentle. They caressed every inch Regina’s exposed skin. Making her shiver in both anticipation and excitement when they wandered close to where she needed them most. She was trembling by the time Emma reached the back of her bra. The blonde froze. Her own hands trembling just a bit as she played with the clasp. They matched Regina’s underwear for the first time in weeks. Both were lacy and black 100% on purpose. Regina had planned on propositioning Emma later that evening, so luckily she’d thought to buy this as an early Christmas Gift. It was having the desired affect. 

“See something you like?” Regina questioned quietly. Emma nodded and gulped. Her gaze firmly placed on the swell of Regina’s lace covered breasts. “Touch me. Please?” She whispered.

Emma didn’t hesitate then. Her movements were from them on were just on the right side of frantic, still careful but holding a touch of roughness Regina didn’t know she'd been craving. She’d always thought that their first time would be slow and gentle. She’d dreamed of the sweet  way they’d make love. But this was proving to be much more fun. Much more _them._ Regina was naked in the blink of an eye. And when her bare skin rubbed up against Emma’s pajamas, she whimpered. “Take it off.” She whined, tugging at the top first, trying failing to get the buttons undone. Emma ripped it off as fast as she could, and let her panties follow. They too were Christmas themed—covered in the grinch’s smirking face— and so ridiculous Regina couldn’t help but snicker. 

“Something funny ‘Gina?” Emma questioned with a raised eyebrow. She looked like a goddess. Straddling Regina’s waist—her warm center hovering inches above her stomach—and leaning over, her hair cascading around her face like a halo. Her perfect breasts inches from Regina’s mouth. The most stunning image.

“Nope. Just wishing I’d bought you panties with _my_ face on them. The grinch is throwing me off a little.” She chuckled as Emma flushed. She threw her panties somewhere in the direction of the pile of clothes in the middle of the living room.

“Maybe next year. I’ll help you find the etsy place that made these. Right now though, ’ve got something else on my mind.” Without warning, after a quick adjustment of their position Emma reached between Regina’s legs and played with her wetness, rubbing over circles around her sensitive clit and earning a moan. It had been so long since Regina’d been taken care of like this. Fuck.

“Oh fuck.” Regina couldn’t help but whine.

“I’m a bit out of practice. So don’t hesitate to tell me what you like.” Emma commanded. Her voice took on a tone Regina had never heard before—something dark and tempting—and she melted into the couch. 

She barely managed to get out a breathy “Uh huh” before two fingers thrust into her and rubbed right up against her g-spot. Fuck. Emma seemed to know exactly what she needed. Regina almost all sense of decorum and reality after that. She couldn’t believe that Emma was out of practice. She had to have been lying. Every thrust moved in just the right way, hitting spots that sent Regina reeling. Never once did she stop rubbing Regina’s clit in just the right way. She was perfect. Regina was getting closer and closer.

But something was missing. Regina was so close, but she couldn’t get all the way there. She mewled and reached out for Emma’s wrist. The blonde stopped moving immediately but didn’t pull out. 

“What’s wrong?” Emma asked.

“I need…fuck— I don’t know something’s— Please? Can we change positions?”

“Of course. I have an idea though. Gimme a sec.” Emma hopped up from the couch and ran into Regina's room, where her overnight bag was stashed.

She was back in a flash holding up what looked like a rabbit vibrator.

Regina cocked her head to one side. Emma had admitted before that she'd never really had the chance to play around with toys. She’d put all her money into taking care of her family and with her busy schedule she didn’tallow herself the time to indulge in what Regina liked to think of as ‘self care’. “Where’d you get that?” Regina asked.

Emma snorted as she came back to the couch. “Dorothy.” Regina's eyebrows hit the ceiling. “I know right. This is only one of them. She bought me a set which is apparently meant for us to use. She claimed we’d need.”

Regina laughed as she pulled Emma back to couch. “Well she wasn’t wrong. How do you want me?”

“Wherever you’re most comfortable.” Emma replied. 

Regina thought for a moment, before shyly looking up at her soulmate. “Can I ride them?” 

Emma choked on air. “My fingers?” When Regina nodded shyly, Emma swallowed loudly and nodded before helping Regina move into position.

It didn’t take long for them to find a rhythm. With Regina on Emma’s lap, a hand reached down between them to control the vibrator and Emma’s fingers stretching her it was perfect. So intense. More intense than anything either of them had felt before. Maybe it was the soulmate thing. It had been said that sex between soulmates was a feeling outside of anything else. Regina hadn’t believed the rumors, but could say with certainty that being with Emma was better than anything she'd felt before. 

 

 

————

 

They moved like they’d been doing this for years. Emma instinctually finding the spots that sent Regina reeling, while Regina reveled in making Emma lose her focus by ramping the vibrations up and down in unexpected intervals.

“Fuck Regina. Like that. Again. Please.” Emma whined as Regina twisted the vibrator. She did it again, and moaned as Emma slid a third finger inside of her. 

“Four. Gimme four.” She whined. Emma froze, though not completely. Her hips still rolled against the vibrator but they slowed down a little bit. 

“Are you sure?” 

“Yes I’m sure! Fuck I’m so close. Please!” Emma obliged, and nearly passed out at the languid moan Regina let out. She threw back her head as four of Emma’s fingers entered her and her breasts bounced so beautifully as she fucked herself on them. 

Regina’s neighbors probably hated them both. Vincent—( _Fuck we forgot about him. That poor cat_ ) probably despised them. As they got closer and closer the noises only grew. Skin slapping against skin, the sound of Emma fingers plunging in and out of Regina, the pleased moans from both women as they reached their peaks suddenly. 

The whole neighborhood let out a collective sigh of relief most likely when they finally succumbed to their exhaustion.

 

 

——————

 

 

They rested on the couch afterwards, draped under a tartan throw blanket basking in the afterglow of their activities. The lights of the Christmas tree and the little fairy lights placed over the mantle of Regina’s fireplace cast beautiful patterns over the room. They didn’t move for a long while. Falling in and out of consciousness and enjoying the warmth of each other’s presence, they were cocooned in their love nest for so long it seemed they’d never leave. But they couldn’t stay there forever. A knock on the door woke them both for the final time.

Regina shot up first, straddling Emma’s waist as she looked up over the back of the couch to the front door. She cleared her throat, though it still felt raw from their several rounds. “Who is it?” 

“Henry! I hope you don’t mind I just uh…I wanted to give your present on Christmas day. I can leave if you—“

“—No!” Both Emma and Regina exclaimed. They looked at each other with a hint of surprise. 

“Emma? No way this is perfect! I can kill two birds with one stone!” Henry exclaimed. 

“So can we.” Regina admitted. “We were on our way out for lunch. Wanna join?” 

“Yeah! Sounds awesome!” 

Regina and Emma scrambled to throw their clothes back on then frantically ran around the house trying to find bags and shoes. They managed to look presentable enough and be fully packed within ten minutes. Henry was still waiting outside the apartment, a bright smile on his face as he held a pile of presents in his skinny arms. 

“ _Feliz Navidad!_ ” He greeted, his pronunciation a little off.Regina chuckled and pulled him into a hug.

“ _Feliz Navidad_ Henry. How has your day been?” 

“Pretty good actually. I got to spend it alone which probably sounds pathetic but was actually nice. Miguel and I have plans to meet up later today.”

Regina smiled at the blush Henry got at just saying Miguel’s name. The young couple were so adorable.

“Our day has been so uneventful.” Emma said in a tone a little bitter higher than her natural one. She was trying to convince Henry they hadn't spent most of the day fucking. Regina held back a snort.. “Like super boring! We’ve been hoping for some action ‘round these parts. Thanks for livening things up bud. Are you hungry?” 

“Starving actually.” Henry admitted. 

“Well, let’s get going then. David left his car and there’s just enough room for all three of us and our presents. Come on before I pass out.” She took Regina’s wrist and led them to David’s truck. Henry threw his bike in the back, beside the presents. 

They decided during the drive to head to the shop. Emma’s apartment specifically. Nowhere else was open and with the supplies of baked goods in the storage room they could make some bomb ass cookies. Which is exactly what they did. Emma and Henry made a recipe of cookies each under Regina’s direction—red velvet for Henry and peanut butter for Emma—which turned out better than expected. The cookies were in the ovens within the hour and after setting timers, the group headed upstairs to get to the main event.  _Present opening._  

Regina made hot chocolate, Henry put on a Christmas movie on David’s laptop for ambiance (Regina still could not convince Emma to buy a tv. It was frustrating her to no end!) and Emma moved the presents upstairs. It was a domestic scene. The little family huddled around Emma’s little Christmas tree, opening presents and enjoying hot coco. Henry’s gifts were sweet and so thoughtful Regina cried a little (Though she tried to hide them behind the apron with her name on it in beautiful lettering he got her) Emma and Regina’s gifts were simpler, but no less stunning. Henry nearly passed out at the leather bound edition of Guillermo Del Toro's book. They both got each other jewelry. Both from the most expensive place in town. Regina got Emma a delicate gold bracelet with some of her favorite constellations on them. And Emma got Regina a ring that was a replica of the heart with a dagger  that was synonymous with the Queen of Snow White story.

When all presents were open and the mushy moments over—for now—they all cuddle up on Emma’s couch and watched Home Alone. 

 

———-

 

The day was wonderful. Every moment so wonderfully amazing that it seemed like a dream. Emma had been waiting for the shoe to drop and for a split second she thought it wouldn’t—but it did.Miguel showed up for dinner around his usual time. The sun was just setting behind the horizon and dinner was on the stove. Regina had just put in a homemade pizza with the help of Emma’s groceries, and it smelled mouth watering from the outside of the shop. From the window of the apartment, Emma could see Henry and Miguel chatting outside the shop. Enjoying the setting sun on a bench a few feet away from the shop.

 **[Something’s about to happen. I need to get down there. Right now]** Emma tried to ignore the voice, the one she hated the most out of all of them ( _Wow that makes me sound crazy._ ) She prayed that the voice was only projecting her fears, and not acting as some herald. Her stomach was rolling with fear as she watched them. And she nearly vomited when an unfamiliar car pulled up into a parking space just in front of the shop. **[Get down there now!]**

“Regina. Take the pizza out.” Emma's voice was hard. 

Regina flinched at the sound of it and turned to look at her soulmate. “What? Why?” 

“Trust me. Take it out. We need to get downstairs right now.” Emma ran to the closet and took out her steel toed boots. Then threw on her red leather jacket. When Regina had set the pizza on the stove, she took her wrist and dragged her downstairs.

“Emma! What’s going on?! Please just take a second!”

“We don’t have a second! Hurry!” 

By the time they made it downstairs, the owner of the car had stepped out. and by the looks of him it was a miracle he hadn’t crashed into the shop. He was drunk. The stench of alcohol practically radiated off of him. He wavered dangerously as he stepped out of the car. Emma stepped outside first, keeping Regina behind her as she assessed this new threat. There was no way in hell he wasn’t a threat. He was an inch or two taller than Emma. Shaggy brown hair that was slightly familiar, blue eyes and buff enough to suggest he was once a healthy man but pudgy enough to tell his favorite drink. Beer. When Henry caught sight of him, he shot up from the bench and dropped Miguel’s hand. His face lost all color. 

“Dad?” He called.

( _Fuck. This can’t be him. No. That’s just…Fuck_ ) 

Henry’s father stalked towards him. Suddenly seeming stone cold sober. Henry flinched back as he advanced, and Miguel took a step in front of him.

“Get out of my way you little prick!” Henry’s father yelled. 

“No! I won’t let you do this to him! He doesn’t deserve this treatment from you.” Miguel shouted. Henry’s father sneered and thankfully, instead of lashing out, turned to look at his son.

“I found the notes. I know who your soulmate is now. I know she's been letting you sneak around in her stupid little fucking shop.I know what kind of disgusting piece of shit you are. My son. A fucking fairy. I can’t believe this. I should—” He raised a fist towards the boys and both Regina and Emma ran. Somehow, Regina got there first, sliding right in front of them to shield Henry and Miguel. When she looked up at his face, her face lost all color. He paused as well. But a smirk filled his face. 

“I thought you were dead.”

“I almost was thanks to you. I can’t believe you’re Henry’s—"

“—me either. I can’t believe I’m stuck with him. The worst son a father could ask for. But I’ll fix him up. Just like my old man did me.Now out of my way, both of you.” He took a threatening step forward, his chest almost grazing Regina’s, but she didn't move. Emma did though. But she was too late. Regina pushed at Henry’s father’s chest, a fire of pure hatred burnin in her eyes. And in retaliation, the man sent her stumbling back with a backhanded slap. Henry shouted as Regina fell and Miguel tried to charge, but Emma beat him to the punch. Literally.

But as she launched herself at the man, her vision blurred. The edges turning dark, then flashing red. For a split second, she was lunging at her captor. Trying desperately to save the life of the only few left alive. ( _I have to fight. I have to take him day and keep him down. He’s gonna take them. I have to._ ) Her mind screamed. Then it all went dark. 

Like a television suddenly being switched off, the world stopped for many moments. When it turned back on and Emma came to, sirens were screaming in the streets, blood stained the pavement and her hands ached. ( _What have I done?_ ) She thought. Her mind was in shambles and running on nothing but instinct. Adrenaline rushed to her head, blood pumped so loud she couldn't hear Regina calling her name. And she ran. 


	13. We Need Some Time.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emma's still AWOL and the others try to regroup.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The response to the last chapter was so amazing thank you so much! I thought everyone would hate it! I'm behind on responding to comments but I'm gonna try and get back on track this week. Thank you to everyone who commented and gave kudos and all that good stuff! It means the world to me thank you!

_“_ Hello? _”_ Graham answered.

“ _Graham…I..I’m sorry to call you on Christmas it’s just_.” Regina choked back a sob. “ _I need you to come to the shop. It’s an emergency we….Henry…Emma._ ” The sob broke loose. Her voice sounded so distorted and so utterly devastated. Graham hadn’t heard her like that in months. He didn’t waste a second, jumping up from Belle’s couch and throwing on his coat. She came up behind him resting a hand on his back concern written all over her face. But he couldn’t speak.His throat was closed up—fear invading his senses as the ambulance wailed in the background of Regina’s phone call. Someone was crying—and it wasn’t Regina.

His voice came back in a croak. “Regina! What’s going on?” He called her name several more times—each time for desperate than the last—but she didn't respond to him. And soon, the phone call disconnected. 

They’d just recovered from the fire. Could they stand something else so soon?

He was on his way out of Belle’s home in minutes, so single minded in his focus that he didn’t feel her running behind him. Didn’t notice her trying to get his attention. When he reached the car, and tried to pull open the driver’s side door, a small hand stopped him. 

“You look like you’re about to fall over. What happened?” Belle questioned.

 “I—I don’t know. Regina called me. It’s an emergency. I could hear sirensin the background. I need to get there.” 

“Alright. I’ll take you to the shop.” Belle responded, pushing him to the passenger’s side. “Everything will be alright.” He went in a daze, his leg bouncing up and down as anxiety roared through him.

What was were they going to find when they pulled up?

 

———-

 

The night was dark. The moon hidden behind a thick fog. Regina, Henry and Miguel were huddled up together on the steps of the shop. Regina’s arms were wrapped around Henry’s shaking form, tears streaming down her face as her almost vacant eyes looked out into the parking lot.It was empty now, save for a few police cars scattered around—the remaining officers looking for witness accounts— and the ambulance. Henry’s father (Neal, Regina learned. She was still in shock, seeing his face and now knowing who his son was. Recognizing who _he_ was. She’d been dropped into a pit ofdevastation and horror since he opened his slimy mouth. Enough so to leave her discombobulated beyond belief.) was alive. Barely. Emma had done a number on him.

 ( _Fuck…_ ** _Emma_** ) Regina's mind whispered. A streak of pain went through her chest. Emma had been unhinged. Most likely severely triggered by Neal’s violence. In an effort to protect Regina and Henry she lashed out. But lost control. Regina would remember the moment her love slipped away for the rest of her life. She now couldn't help but feel sorry every time she went away from now it. The  shift had been subtle to the untrained eye. But blatant to Regina's—the dark _angry_ eyes replacing Emma’s light ones, the veins in her neck protruding dangerously. The image would haunt her dreams for years.

She’d tried to stop her. But seeing Neal’s face so close to hers had left her reflexes slow. The second she'd touched Emma, the woman went wild. Henry had tried to stop Emma as well, but Miguel had luckily held him back. Or else he would have ended up like Regina. A bruises face and bruises spirit. In the end, Neal's fate had been written in stone the momenthe threatened Henry. Then sealed when he put his hands on Regina. Neal Cassidy was a deadman.The only reason he was alive currently, and not buried six feet under the concrete of the parking lot, was because of Miguel’s foresight. He called the police during the initial confrontation. By the time fists were flying and Neal’s blood stained the concrete, they were on the way. Their presence had been what sent Emma away. If only Regina hadn't been such a dumbass and pushed him. Maybe Emma would have been in a better headspace. Maybe she would stayed. 

 “Stop that.” Henry admonished quietly. His voice had taken on a nasal tone after spending the past hour crying.

 “Stop what?” Regina quietly asked.

 “Stop overanalyzing and stop blaming yourself. The only person to blame is my dad. You were defending me, Emma was defending me and Miguel was defending me. None of you started this.”

 “He’s right.” They all jumped as a deep voice greeted them. He held up his hands in apology when they all stared at him. “I’m sorry. Didn’t mean to scare you. Just wanted you all to know that it’s official. Based on the witness reports and security footage, we’ve ascertained none of you are at fault. It was a tense situation, and Mr.Cassidy acted irrationally to begin with. You were defending yourselves…even if one of you did go a little over board.”

 “Did the tapes show where she went?” Regina asked. Emma still hadn’t reappeared. Regina had resorted to calling Graham and soon after him, David. She was worried out of her mind.

 “I’m sorry Ma’am. They didn’t. We caught a glimpse of her going near Piper Street but we lost her trail after that. We’ll keep an eye out for her and be as gentle with her as possible if we find her before you do.” He assured as calmly as he could. But his words nor tone made Regina feel any better. She felt ten times worse by the time she recognized the yelling coming from the barricaded parking lot.

 “Regina! Regina are you alright?!” Graham yelled. Slowly, Regina stood to her feet taking Henry with her. Miguel stood beside them, clutching Henry’s hand and holding the ice pack that had once been on Regina's bruised cheek in his hand. Officerstried to stop him, but the one who’d just spoken to the little group —Regina could see that his name was Nottingham under the street lights—calmed them down and ushered Graham inside. Belle was not far behind him to Regina’s surprise.

Graham ran to Regina’s side, pulling both her and Henry up into a bear hug once he got close enough. Henry hugged back with all of his might—letting tears fall down his pale cheeks and onto Graham’s brown leather jacket—but Regina had a hard time returning the fervor. Her limbs weren’t responding to her commands—commands which came a few seconds slower than they should have.

( _Shit. I don’t have time for this. I can’t go away right now. I need to make sure Emma is alright._ ) She wanted to yell. Scream at herself for her weakness. Rage against her body for needing to run away from its problems instead of confronting them. But she could only let out a whimper. Graham knew exactly what she meant though.

He stroked her hair as he spoke. “It's alright love. We’ll get you all fixed up. Henry, are you alright staying in Regina's guest room? I think she’ll feel more comfortable in her apartment.” 

“I’m fine. I just…wherever I end up is fine. As long as I’m with one of you guys…”

 “Wherever Henry goes I follow. At least for the night. I need to know he’s safe.” Miguel stated, puffing out his skinny chest to be intimidating. It wasn't a necessary action. Everyone knew and could understand that he’d want nothing more than to be near Henry after everything. As long as his parents approved they’d be fine.

 “That’s fine Miguel. Call your parents while I help Regina get to the car.” 

“I don’t need help.” Regina tried to say, but her words came out as an almost incoherent mumble. Graham cradled her closer and with Henry’s help adjusted her into a position that was easy to carry. Regina whined in complaint, but before she could protest any further the edges of her vision began to blur. Her limbs tingled and the blood began to pound so loud Regina could hear nothing outside of it. 

Then she was lost. Her mind floating in space while her body was stuck in Graham’s arms.

 

————

 

Graham felt the moment she sagged against him, and couldn’t help but let out a sad sigh. She'd been fighting so hard. But ,in the end, it was better for her rest than to fight and exhaust herself. He knew she was beyond devastated. Emma was missing, the altercation was still fresh in everyones minds and the outcome had been less pleasant. (Seeing the tyrant that was Henry's father in the flesh had been a wake up call.) But there was nothing that could be done right now. The police were looking for Emma, they had Neal in custody, and David was on his way in from Maine.Things would work out. Right now, it was time for a rest. Graham handed Henry the key and let him guide Miguel and Belle into the apartment. They were all silent and solemn as they made their way. Vincent was waiting for them at the door. Perched on the welcome mat, his little face peering up at them as the door swung open.

 “Hey buddy. Let us in will you? Mom needs to rest.” Graham greeted in a calm voice. Vincent meowed in response and opened the door just a bit with his paw before scampering off to his mother's room, look gin back at Graham to say ‘Follow Me!’. Henry leaned on Miguel’s shoulder as they walked in, and closed to door once Belle entered.

 “What can I do to help?” Belle asked. She looked Graham and Regina up and down. Not once did jealously or uncertainty flicker in her gaze. IT was nothing but concern and tenderness. Graham sighed in relief silently. 

 “Can you make some tea? We all need to unwind a bit. Hen, chill in the living room for now I’ll show you around once Regina’s good.”

 “Can I..Is it alright tif I come with you? I’m just…worried about her. Like, really worried.” Henry confessed with a blush.

 “Sure thing kid. Miguel, you coming?” Graham asked.

 Miguel shook his head. “I’ll help Belle with the tea. I don’t want to intrude any further on Miss Mill’s space.” Graham shrugged in response, and led Henry into Regina’s room. Emma’s overnight bag was still open on the bed, and full of sex toys apparently. Henry blushed bright red as he scrambled to zip the bag up.

 “I _so_ didn’t need to see that.” He mumbled, before pulling the covers back. Graham gave a stiff chuckle as he helped Regina onto her bed. He took off her boots and unbuttoned her jeans. Then pulled the heating blanket out from under the bed. It helped sometimes, to have something warm to help her out of it. When she was settled—laying on her side as she always did, eyes still open slightly too much, Vincent perched just above her head, her breathing steady if a little shallow— Graham took a seat on the bed. He let out a tired sigh.

 Henry gingerly sat down beside him. “What now?” He asked. “I’ve never seen her like this. Is she gonna be ok?”

 “She’ll be fine kid. She’s just had a long day. It’s all been a little bit too muchand she just needs a break.”

 “Is that what this is? Her body’s version of a break?” Henry questioned.

 It struck Graham suddenly how scary all of this must be for the boy. Being confronted with his worst fear essentially, then having to see the woman he considered his mentor and older sister essentially, leave her body for the first time. It had been disconcerting at first for Graham too, and he’d been _present_ for the car crash and its aftermath. He saw the progress and still freaked out on occasion. Henry must have been all sorts of confused.

 “Yeah. It’s called dissociation I think. It’s a coping mechanism."

 “Does she have control over it?”

 “Sometimes. But most times her body just lets go. At the very most she can prepare before hand, but she can’t stop it.”

 “How long will it last?” His tone was losing the panicked edge, but he was still obviously very concerned. 

 “It depends. I think she’ll come out of this one fast. Especially with Emma missing. She’ll be eager to do what she can to find her.”

 “You're not worried? I mean—Emma lost it back there. She wasn’t stopping and it was terrifying and now she’s gone. Like—disappearedinto thin air. I saw her run but I couldn't tell which way. And now Regina's like this and we can’t help her!”

 “I am worried. Trust me. But I can only do so much. You can only control so much. It would be useless for me to make myself sick with worry when I've got you and Miguel and Belle to worry about. I’m worried as fuck but I can’t melt down. At least not yet.” Graham chortled.

 Henry sighed and slumped over. His head hung low, a tear falling from his red eyes, landing on Regina's comforter. “I wish I could be more like you. I can’t stop myself from worrying so much. I feel like I’m gonna throw up my intestines every two seconds.”

 “That's exactly why I asked Belle to make tea. It will calm your nerves a bit. If you can’t go to sleep—which you need by the way—at least you’ll be calmer. Come on. Regina will be fine. If she’s not, Vince will let us know.”

 Henry nodded and of followed him out of Regina’s bedroom.

They took shifts watching the door for Emma. Henry and Miguel went first, sipping on the tea—chamomile with a pinch of cinnamon and some honey—while Belle and Graham took a nap on the couch. Nothing happened. They waited and prayed and hoped with all hope that Emma would just show up that night, but she didn’t. Henry and Miguel eventually succumbed to exhaustion, retreating to the guest room and sleeping like logs. Things were mostly peaceful, until around 5 am.Regina’s screams echoed through the apartment. Graham was up in a second, running to her room to find her thrashing in the bed. Caught up in the midst of a hellish nightmare. Tears streaked down her cheeks as she cried out for someone. Graham tried to comfort her,but his presence did little to settle Regina. Even when she woke. The others hovered at the door, trying to hold back tears as Regina woke with a scream.

 “Regina! It’s me! You’re safe! Come back!” Graham tried to assure her. But she was too caught up in her mind to respond. Only managing to let out panicked cries and stutter out pleas.

 Regina gripped Graham’s forearms as tried to communicate. “I need—She—I don’t know where she is I need to find her please!”

 “I’ll help you love. We’ll all help you. You just need to calm down for me Ok?”

 Henry tip-toed over and carefully took Regina’s hand. He pressed it to his chest and tried to give an example of steady breathing. He was failing slightly, as Regina’s agitated state only agitated him. But it worked well enough. “We’re all gonna help Regina. Just follow my breathing first alright? Take a deep breath in. Then out. Try it.”

 It took a few tries, but slowly they managed to calm Regina down. Graham expected her to fall back into slumber after her panic, but she stated awake and springy alert afterwards.

 “I’m so sorry Henry. I should have been able to keep it together for longer. You needed me and I—

“Don’t! You have every right to flip out. It's been a hell of a day. You know how you can make it up to me?"

"How?" Regina desperately questioned. 

He reached out and pulled her into a tight hug. It took no time at all for them both to lose the tension in their shoulders, and let silent tears fall as they tried to fight off the overwhelming panic and fear.  

————

 

Emma didn’t come back that night. Nor did she come back the next night. But no matter how much they wanted to find her, it was virtually impossible with the lack of information they had. So they called in the big guns. Ruby arrived just before sunrise. The knock on the door was expected, but still both Regina and Henry startled.

"Come in." Regina called.

She used her key and slid the door open slowly. Bags clung to her under eyes. It was obvious she'd been crying. Dorothy was not far behind her nor was she in better shape. She held up travel carriers of Starbucks with a strained smile. "How's everyone feeling?"

"Tired. Afraid. frustrated. All the usual stuff. Is that caffeinated?" Regina asked.

"Of course it is! Who do you take me for?" Dorothy responded, handing over the carrier. As Regina passed the drinks out, Ruby huddled herself into a corner. Hiding in the shadows out of guilt most likely. Regina sighed and came close to the woman. 

"How are you feeling Rubes?" She asked. 

"How am  _I_ feeling? How are you feeling? I fucked up so bad your soulmate beat your surrogate father's son half to death."

"How does this have anything to do with you or your perceived failures? Please tell me. Because all I see is a terrible accident that could have been prevented if Neal hadn't been such a horrible person." 

Ruby's brow twitched. Confusion filled her features. "That name. Neal. It sounds familiar."

"That's because it is. None of us knew it was  _him_. If we had, I'm sure Emma wouldn't have hesitated to slit his throat." 

" _H_ _im_ as in...That guy we saw at the grocery store that one time. The one that sent you into an episode so bad you hid in the bathroom?"

"That guy. But that doesn't matter right now. Right now we need to find Emma. So let me grab the footage. It just came in this morning." 

 Going over the security footage was a painstaking process, even for a seasoned professional as Ruby. She too had been in the military, though her time int dharma had been less than Emma's due to an injury. Still, her skill set was extensive. Tracking in particular was her forte. So she compiled a list of places she suspected Emma would hide. She hadn't explored the city much, even with Regina, so the options were mostly limited to places Ruby suspected Emma would see as 'secure'. She separated the list into sectors, assigning a pair a sector. Regina and Graham got one sector, the one closet to the shop considering they had to be there most days. Henry and Miguel got the sector nearest the school, and Belle got one a few miles near her shop. They searched every day for a week. But there was no sign of her. It was as if she'd disappeared into thin air. 

David and Mary Margaret returned in the middle of their search, eager to help but obviously panicking. The extra eyes were helpful, but they all knew that Emma wouldn't be found if she didn't want to be found. So they paused the fervent searches. Giving every signal possible to the blonde that they were all eager for her to come home (leaving care packages around the spots Ruby compiled and notes with directions on them. Any and everything that would break the hold of fear and regret that most likely kept Emma from them.) Never once did they lose hope, but by the second week their spirits were wilted. 

\-----

Henry moved in with Regina after his father was officially arrested. Miguel visited every day after and before school, occasionally bringing along his dog Dante. ( a cute clumsy medium sized 'xolo') David stopped by Regina's apartment for dinner almost every day. Mary Margaret once a week. Ruby disappeared as well, though she at least kept in touch through phone calls and photos. She felt it was her responsibility and hers alone to find Emma. So she set off into the city to do it much to Dorothy and Regina's dismay. But she could not be persuaded. Graham and Belle were almost constantly present, which surprisingly was the perfect balance of support.

Dinner was on the stove—spaghetti bolognese tonight. Henry's second favorite—and dessert was in the oven when a knock came on the door. Graham and Belle were over for dinner, but Regina beat them both to the door. She'd expected to see a flash of blonde hair and an apologetic smile standing behind her door, but the woman she found was not what she'd been expecting. She was older. Old enough to be Regina's own mother. Light blonde-grey hair pulled into a braid behind her back. She wore a simple floral dress with a denim jacket and boots. Her face was vaguely familiar but Regina couldn't place her name. 

"How can I help you?" Regina asked. 

"My name is Ruth. My son told me I'd fine my daughter's soulmate here." 


	14. I Wanna Get Better

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We find out where Emma was during those two weeks and Ruth and Regina have a talk.

The streets were cold. The pavement still damp from the copious amounts of rain the city had been getting. Emma’s clothes were soaked. She hadn’t stopped shivering in three days and was sure she had some sort of chest cold. Not to mention the smell of whatever questionable substances that had practically welded themselves to her jeans. (The corner of the alley she’d been glued to for the who-knows-how-long was full of very questionable substances.) All in all, she was completely and utterly emerged in deep shit. Both literally and figuratively.

But she’d made no plans to move anytime soon. 

Emma’s mind had been a maelstrom of conflict since that night. A tug-of-war of memories and confusing feelings pulling at her from all directions. For the first week she'd moved from place to place, scavenging the only familiar places in the city until she came across an alley way both secluded and hard enough to reach to feel safe. And it was located beside a restaurant’s trash can, so all she had to do was crawl a few feet in the dead of night to find a suitable meal for the night. But she hadn’t eaten since the third night. The rainwater that dripped off of  her shivering form being her only sustenance. Most of her time was spent curled up in the corner of her new home— _(For now. Once I can just get my shit together I can go back home. Maybe grovel a bit and hide but it'll work out)_ **[Home? Do you mean the place where all the people who probably hate you now live. There's nothing left there. You should just stay in this alley and rot. It's what you deserve.]** _(They don’t hate me…They love me.)_ **[Sure. Whatever you say.]** _—_ a version of deep contemplation. It was less than pleasant. But, her choices were either that or falling head first into the worst of her psyche. Getting so wrapped up that she wasn’t entirely sure if what she was seeing with her two eyes was real. That was the hardest part—and the main reason she relegated herself to only moving when the pain in her joints grew unbearable. 

Emma was afraid. Beyond afraid. Terrified. Terrified of herself. Terrified of the world—both real and of the past—she was just afraid. And it was exhausting. But she couldn't trust herself not to hurt Regina or Henry. She'd already almost hurt Regina, then beat Henry’s dad to a bloody pulp (though the asshole deserved it. Emma didn’t know him personally, but he knew enough about him and the type of person he was to know without a shadow of a doubt that he deserved every blow) she didn't deserve to be near them. 

In the distance, the door to the restaurant was pushed open, the back of the door slamming against the concrete wall. Emma flinched and curled in on herself more. Her eye slipped closed as she prepared for a blow, but none came. Then the world tilted on its axis. One moment, she was breathing in the stale and revolting odor of the alley, the next motor oil, sweat and blood.  Emma’s eyes shot open. Her breathing speeding up to a dangers degree in second as the darkness gave way to a blinding light. The sun, in its most raw form, burning down on her. The pavement was replaced by sand. The alleyway replaced by a shoddy tent. The now familiar neon lights of the nail bar across the street morphing into little red lights. Emma was barley taking air in at the speed in which she was panting. Footsteps came close. _(They’re here. Shit. I need to get up I need to move. I have to save them. I can’t—)_ Emma’s mind screamed. The footsteps came even closer and the blonde curled in on herself even more as they came closer. Her mind was screaming for her to fight, but her body resisted. She was frozen with fear and couldn’t  help but let out a fearful scream as a hand came to touch her shoulder. 

“Calm down darling. It’s alright. I’m not going to hurt you.” A warm voice spoke. It was calm, and sweet but unfamiliar. Despite her internal protests, Emma found herself calming at the sound of it. “There you go. That's better. Keep that up.” She came closer, this mysterious woman, and helped Emma stand. Then helped her breathe. It took a few minutes—during which Emma kept her eyes shut tight—but eventually Emma calmed down enough to control her breathing.

“What’s your name?” The woman asked.

“Em—Emma Nolan.” She managed to get out. Her voice was like gravel—she hadn’t used it a week.

“Well Emma, my name is Ingrid. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Emma let out a snort. “I certainly don’t believe that. I don’t know possessed you to find your way into this alley and I don’t know what stroke of bad luck landed you with me but I know for a fact I smell and look like shit. This isn't exactly anyone’s idea of a nice Friday evening.”

“It's Sunday sweetheart.” Ingrid lightly chides. There was a hint of something sad behind her words. “How long have you been out here?” 

“What day is it?”

“January third.” Ingrid said quietly. At that, Emma's eyes popped open again.

“No fucking way.” 

“Yes way. Let me guess—you've been out here for longer than you thought?” 

‘Uh, yeah. It felt like a day—maybe two—not a whole week. Shit. Fuck…But I can't go back yet.” The thought of just waltzing up to Regina—caked in Alleyway shit and looking like a corpse made her stomach turn. She needed time. Not only to get her shit together but to prepare her mind for the reality of the ass whooping she'd get. And the repercussions of Henry's father's beatdown.

“How about this? I’ve got a place not too far from here. You can crash for a little while, we can get you some clothes and a nice meal and you can take as much time as you need.’

Emma shot her a suspicious look. “What's in it for you?” No-one was so selfless. The woman wanted something in return. Emma just couldn't think of what.. (She could think of a few possibilities but none of them seemed to fit the profile of this put together ice blonde. Looks could be deceiving though.)

“I can sleep tonight, knowing you’re safe. I know it's hard to believe but I was a therapist for many years. Specialized in PTSD. And I know a case when I see one. It’d break my heart to leave you here like this. :et me help. If only for a night. I won't be able to live with myself otherwise.” Her face is so sincere. And Emma felt in her gut that the woman was speaking the truth. She could smell the honesty on her. But it was still terrifying—letting this woman who she barely knew help her.She had no choice though. Not if she wanted to get better. And she did. After months of lightness and fun and freedom from the demons that haunted her every move—she got a glimpse of what happiness was. What her life would be like if she just got better. Did better. And she wanted that for the rest of her life. 

  
So Emma took Ingrid’s hand and let herself be led into a small blue car.

 

 

————

 

Emma stayed with Ingrid for five days. Ingrid was the perfect host. Having mastered the delicate balance between hovering and letting Emma have independence. She was there when Emma needed her—helping Emma find clothes and helping her work through the moments when she’d float between life and death. Reality and a past she’d rather forget. And she left Emma alone when she needed her space—in the late night hours when she'd have vivid nightmares of her own hands wrapped around Regina's neck. Of her own hands pulling the trigger that took Henry or Ruby or Dorothy or David down.

They got along well. Ingrid seemed like a sweet little peach on the outside, but she was hard ass ice when it came to the important things.They were eating breakfast a few days after Emma's arrival, chowing down on an omelet and toast when Ingrid got up suddenly and dropped a thick folder of things on Emma's lap. 

“You're going home on Friday.” She simply stated. Her tone suggested it would be better for Emma to not argue.

“Excuse me. What?!”

“You—Emma Marie Nolan—are going home Friday. The worst of your flashback is over and you'll never fully recover unless you go home. Unless you surround yourself with love and support from your family. So, home is where you're going. I made up a folder of resources for you utilize once you’re home. The contact number of a therapist I know how would be a great fit for you. A few hotlines numbers. Stuff like that. My phone number's in there too. So if you need some support form an outside source I’ll be there. But I'm not gonna let you hide from them because you’re afraid of hurting them.”

“But I already hurt them. Twice. First I nearly shot George and broke Jame’s nose. Then I put a bruise on Regina's face because I was punching her charge's father bloody and she was trying to stop me. I think I have the right to be afraid, skeptical and protective of my family." Emma protested.

“You’re one hundred percent right Emma. You do have the right to be hesitant.  But hiding from them and running away from the problems isnot a longterm solution. You're only hurting them more by at the least not letting them know you're alright. You can protect them by taking care of yourself and managing your triggers. And if the situation starts to get unhealthy you can leave. I'll even let you stay here—I've gotta admit I've grown quite fond of you. Fond enough to call you out and push you to do what you need to do.”

Emma sat, silent for a few moments. Trying— unsuccessfully—to think of a way out that didn't include running away again. She wasn't ready. She was not ready to face her family after what she'd let herself do. . But Ingrid's words only made more and more sense as Emma ran them through her head. Emma knew she couldn't hide forever.So she finished her omelet in silence and spent the rest of the breakfast thinking of what she was going to say to her family.

————

 

Ruth was a sweetheart. The sweetest most adorable woman Regina had ever had the pleasure of meeting. Regina could see her influence in David and Emma clear as day.David had her eyes. All soft and angelic—a light sky blue that simply took your breath away. But Emma had her smile. Every version of it. In certain moments, Regina could only see _Emma_ written all over Ruth and it was painful. The pain only a stark reminder of the loss. But she managed. Dinner had been an awkward affair.  Henry and Miguel had taken their dinner into the guest room out of respect for Emma’s privacy, while the others had picked at their food while explaining the last several months to Ruth. She was patient and quiet during the exchange. The only signs of her fear for her daughter being the few tears that slipped out and into her untouched meal. 

Graham and Belle left shortly after they ate, both giving Regina and Henry hugs and kisses before leaving. Then Henry, sensing their need for privacy, retreated to the guest room. Regina and Ruth made their way to the couch just as he shut the door shut. 

"It sounds like she’s been  living well. For months I was afraid she was running around the country homeless and unhappy. But she found her soulmate—and a damn good one at that—and she’s happy. I’m so relieved.”

“I don’t know how you can classify me as a good soulmate ma’am when I let her run off into the night without her cellphone during a flashback.” Regina rebutted. The past two weeks had done nothing for her guilt. It only grew to an unmanageable size. 

“You can only do so much Regina. I learned that the hard way. I tried to coddle Emma and force her to fro everything under the sun to manage her PTSD. But it only put pressure on her. Unnecessary pressure. Because she wasn't ready. And I see that now. I see that she needed time to just…rest after everything." 

"You know—after all this time I still don’t know what happened. I thought she’d tell me eventually but she still keeps avoiding it. And it’s hard because I see her struggle and I don’t know how to help. She sees me struggle and knows exactly what to do…I feel useless."

Ruth let out a sigh and sipped the cup of tea Regina had made for her. “I understand. I felt the same way with Steven. Emma's father.”

“George isn’t Emma's father?” Regina asked, perplexed. She's always been under the impression that Emma, David and James were all one hundred percent blood related.

“Oh no. George is her step father. Steven—he was my first real relationship. He was a soldier and though our relationship wasn’t very serious we spent a lot of time together. He was my first. And then, just before I found out I was pregnant with Emma, he died in action. But before that, he 'd seen action many times. And it left a mark on him. He was flighty and agitated most days. Afraid and lifeless the next. And no matter how much I wanted to help, I couldn’t because he wouldn't let me in.”

“Am I...Am I asking too much of her to tell me what happened? I mean it happened almost 9 months ago. It's still fresh. Wouldn't it be counterproductive to her healing to ask?”

“I don't think so. I think what's counterproductive is letting this cycle continue. Emma being fine for a while then getting triggered and not knowing how to handle it.So she runs. We can’t let it get to a third time. When we find her we have to convince her that getting help is her best option."

“I think....I think I have an idea on how to help with that. I feel like a hypocrite asking her to do something myself am not doing. So I guess this can all start with me being an example of sorts.”

Ruth gave her a blinding smile, and took Regina’s hand. “That sounds wonderful dear. And so very brave of you.”

They held hands for a moment. A feeling that could only be described as camaraderie passed between them. Regina let out a sigh of relief.

 _(She knows Emma better than she knows herself. She can help.)_ Her mind shouted in relief. She'd been so worried about fucking everything up. About making things worse and not having the chance to fix them now that Emma had fled. But Ruth was a reassuring presence. A calming one. They’d be fine.

If only Emma would show up on the doorstep.There was a knock on the front door. 

“Are you expecting visitors dear?” Ruth asked.

Regina shook her head and slowly got up from the couch. “No.” On instinct, she grabbed a knife from the kitchen. Neal had been released with nothing more than a slap on the wrist not eleven hours earlier _(I’ll never understand how he keeps getting so lucky. He must be a police officer or something.)_

“Who is it?” Regina called out in the most intimidating voice she could manage. 

“It’s me ‘Gina…Emma.” 

 

 

————

 

It took longer than Emma expected for Regina to open the door. Her heart raced a dangerous rhythm as she waited. She was expecting to not be let in. (After all, she'd be causing more trouble than she was worth recently and she didn't deserve a family like the one she had.) Not for the door to open ot reveal not only Regina and Henry, but her Ma.

Emma's eyebrows hit the ceiling. “Ma?” _(I’m gonna kill David.)_

She didn't get a response, only a face full of her Ma’s neck. She was pulled into a tight hug, and with one inhale of her mother's perfume—a perfect mix of her natural scent, flowers and a hint of vanilla—Emma began to cry. Ugly sobs that were born of nothing but sorrow and helplessness. It was embarrassing to do infront of Ingrid and Henry, but so very relieving. Especially when Regina came up behind her and wrapped her arms around Emma. When Henry reached out his hand and took Emma’s. It was heaven. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed! Thank you for reading!


	15. Home is Where the Heart Is.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emma finally talks to her mom, Regina tells Emma some things and everyone has fun.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading and commenting! I'm behind (as usual) with replying to comments but please know even if I haven't responded yet that I still saw it and appreciate it so much!

The house was quiet as Regina and Ruth led Emma inside the apartment. Henry took it upon himself to lead Ingrid inside though he seemed unsure of her presence. Emma caught a glimpse of his uncertain expression as he closed the door behind Ingrid. She couldn’t exactly blame him for being so hesitant. It was a weird situation. Emma disappearing after beating the pulp out of the man who helped conceive him, then reappearing with a stranger and having a breakdown at the front door.And that was only the past few days. Weird was an understatement for what had been going on over the past few months. 

“When’s the last time you ate?” Regina asked, her voice just above a whisper. She held Emma in her arms, her warmth comforting. Ruth took a seat across from the couple, watching Emma with an unwavering gaze. Emma tried not to let it phase her, but she knew that look all too well. Knew without having to think too hard just what her mother was thinking. And what she was going to do. 

“I had lunch. Ingrid treated to some Chinese food. I could go for dinner…if you’re offering.” Emma replied.

“Of course I am. I’ll grab you some leftovers. Hen, can you come help me out for a second?” Regina called to the teen. He flew at the chance to be useful. Emma clung to Regina. A tiny whimper escaping her throat.

 _(Even with Ingrid here, Ma’s gonna rip me a new one. Please don’t leave.)_ Emma thought.

“Please don’t leave me here with her just yet. I’m not ready yet.” She whispered.

Regina leaned down, and moved a curl from Emma’s ear. She leaned closer to whisper “Well you better get ready my darling. Because she’s not the only one both relieved and upset. She’s the first in a long line. I'm next. But you’ll be fine.” Regina kissed just beside Emma’s ear and abruptly stood. Not glancing back for a second as she led Henry into the kitchen. Which left Ingrid.

Emma sent her a pleading look, but knew deep down the woman wouldn’t help her. Ingrid cleared her throat. “May I use the restroom?”

Ruth sent her a sweet smile—though Emma could see behind it the menace. The danger. She shivered—and responded. “I think it’s down the hall. First door on the left.”

Ingrid nodded and practically bolted to the door as fast as she could. Henry and Regina could be heard behind Emma’s back, clattering and quietly chatting in the kitchen, but they were far enough away to not be of any use. They wouldn't help Emma anyway. They were probably on the same page as her Ma.

Emma finally conceded defeat and looked towards her Ma. Who looked as relaxed as can be.

Emma gulped. “So Ma, how’ve you been?”

“Worried sick. Absolutely wracked with guilt. I hear from your _soulmate_ that you’re doing well. Or you were before that child abusing asshole showed up.” Ruth spat. Emma was startled by the profanity. Usually her mother was as clean as could be. Only cursing when she felt it absolutely necessary (for example, cursing out the principle of Emma’s high school when he tried to expel her and Ruby for fighting one of the football players when he tried to cop a feel.) It was a testament to how upset she was that she spoke in such a way.

“You don’t have anything to feel guilty about Ma….It’s me who should be feeling guilty.”

“You’re damn right! Up and leaving like you did. Not contacting anyone for months and when you _finally_ think of letting us know you’re alive—you do it through David! Both you and Ruby should be ashamed of yourselves.”

Emma winced and blushed bright red. “Don’t cast any blame on Ruby. She only did what I asked her to do.”

“I don’t care! Eugenia would be ashamed of her. Keeping such important information from us when you were in need of support. I understand I most likely pushed too hard for you to look at all your options—I apologize for that—but what happened wasn’t catastrophic enough to just leave the way you did. If you needed to leave that was understandable, but letting us think you were dead was irresponsible and hurtful! ”

“That wasn't my intention Ma! And it was that catastrophic to me! I broke James’ nose Ma!” Emma cried.

Ruth scoffed and swept Emma’s word away with a sweep of her hand. “That was just cosmic justice.”

Emma nearly choked on air. She leaned forward in her seat. “I’m sorry. What?”

“Emma— Dear…Sweetheart. This is not news to you. James is an asshole. His only rival for biggest asshole in America is George.”

Emma’s mouth dropped open. Nearly hit the ground as both shock and an embarrassing amount of amusement welled up in her chest. She couldn’t help but let out a snort.

“That’s right. I said what I said and I’m sticking with it. James deserved to have his nose broken. After the way he treated you once you came back. Same with George—both of those nitwits acted like idiots and got what was coming to them. Though I wish the cosmos could have went about it a different way. Not using you in such a vulnerable state for a start.”

“They could have died Ma! I was too dangerous! Still am. I nearly killed that guy a few weeks ago.” Emma whispered. 

“And that was wrong according to the law. And according to your conscience. Which is fine. Losing control the way you sometimes do when you’re triggered isn’t healthy and has to be terrifying. Which is why I want to get you help. I plan on hounding Ruby until she lets me stay in her and Dorothy’s old house so I’ll be around here for a while. As long as you’d like me here. I just want to help.”

“After everything you should be resting, vacationing. Doing anything other than taking care of me. I..you don’t deserve to be burdened with my shit.”

Ruth sighed and stood up to come sit beside Emma on the couch. She turned Emma’s body around to look face hers. Then took her hands. “Emma Marie Nolan. You are my daughter. My first born. You are not my burden. You are my gift. And in the past few minutes, I’ve seen you look more peaceful and more content than you have in years. It’s glorious, seeing the glimmer in your eye even after the setback. You’re happy here. And you deserve to be happy. Nothing would make me happier than to help you maintain that and continue on your healing journey.” Emma opened her mouth to argue but cut her off her with a stern look and a finger wave. “Don’t you keep doing that. It’s done now. You ran twice and now it’s time to stop running.” She took her daughter’s face in her hands. “Let us help you.”

A tear slipped down Emma’s cheek. She nodded. “Ok Mama.”

Ruth pressed a kiss to her daughter’s cheek, right above an old scar—the one she got during a fist fight with James when she was five—just as Regina and Henry made as much noise as possible reentering the living room.

“Is it safe to come out now?” Ingrid called. Emma laughed.

“Yeah. Come out here and meet my family.”

 

 

————

 

“Who is she?” Regina asked as she and Emma slipped into bed. Ruth had just left, deciding for the night to stay at David’s/Emma’s apartment until Emma told Ruby she was back. Ingrid had been right behind her, though she slipped Emma’s folder onto the kitchen island before she left, and made Emma promise to call her by the end of the week before leaving. Regina’s words were curious but her eyes hard. She was obviously distrustful of Ingrid. Emma could’t exactly blame her. The situation must look weird. But it was imperative that Regina at the very least respect Ingrid.

Emma had a feeling that her recovery and healing would involve Ingrid a lot, and she didn’t want there to be friction.

“Ingrid found me in an alleyway near a restaurant not far from here. She was a therapist for a while—ironically enough specializing in PTSD. She retired a few years ago to take care of her nieces. But they’re all grown up now so she’s considering getting back into the field. She’s a really nice woman. Doesn't want anything from me other than to see me happy and healthy I..I don’t think I’d be here if it wasn’t for her. I wasn’t in a good place. I didn’t even know what day it was. I hadn’t eaten in days.”

Emma slid onto her back in Regina’s bed and sighed a happy sigh as her soulmate came to rest her head just under Emma’s chin. Regina's ear just above Emma’s heart.

“I was so worried about you…We all were. Ruby looked for you all over town last week. She didn’t find even a hint of you and we even asked the officers at the scene to keep at an eye out.”

Emma shuddered at the mention of officers. “How much trouble am I in?” She ventured to ask.

“None hopefully. Once you give a statement. There was a security camera on the store next door to ours, and it caught the whole fight. The officers agree that what you did was a version of self defense, and that with your PTSD a case could be made to get you counseling and community service as a punishment.”

“That’s not too bad actually…Have you heard anything about Henry’s sperm donor?” Regina tensed slightly. Emma’s eyebrow raised. “What is it?”

“Henry’s father was the man responsible for the car accident that killed Daniel and nearly killed me.” She plainly stated, though her tone was tight and she trembled just a bit at the mention of Daniel’s death.

“Are you sure?” She couldn't believe what she was hearing. Didn't want to be believe it. Regina had mentioned before that the man responsible was free and that she saw him on occasion but this was beyond what Emma had imagined. 

“I’m positive. He came over to the car, climbed down the fucking hill he sent us down and checked to make sure we were dead. When I screamed he only stared at me. I looked him did in the eyes and pleaded with him to help us. To call someone. But he did nothing. He fucking walked away and his face—that smug drunken fucking face—will forever be burned into my mind.” Regina almost yelled. She was trembling with rage. Tears starting to fall as the memory of that night filled her mind. She tried to sit up from Emma’s arms but her soulmate pulled her back. Emma kissed the crown of her head, and wrapped her arms around Regina. 

“OK love. I’m sorry. It’s over now. It’s over.”

“But it’s not! He got off! With a misdemeanor for a drunk and disorderly! He’s free right now and Daniel’s dead and Henry’s traumatized and—"

“What do you mean he got off?!” Emma hissed. 

“Both times for fucks’ sake!” Regina continued to rant. “Both fucking times! The truck he was riding in that night wasn’t his and the security footage was corrupted so no-one knew it was him! And because of my injuries nobody believed me when I identified him! Now—somehow despite the footage and witness reports—he’s still getting off because there’s no evidence to support he actually hit Henry! Not to mention the fact that he most likely has some high ranking officer in his pocket vouching for him!” 

Emma tried to calm Regina with a hand running through her curls and another rubbing her back. It worked after a few minutes, but the brunette still cried and trembled in her embrace. 

“Shit I’m sorry. This is ridiculous and selfish! You are just coming back from a flashback induced, week long stint on the streets. You shouldn’t be dealing with me or my shit right now.” Regina whispered.

“Oh please. My trauma doesn’t negate your trauma. Just because I’m having a bad week doesn’t mean you can’t have a bad moment. There’s a lot going on right now. A lot and its triggering for both of us. We just…we just need a break to recalibrate I guess.” 

Regina nodded against Emma’s chest. “You’re right…I was going to take Henry to the beach Saturday. He’s invited Miguel. Do you want to come?” 

Emma smile down at her soulmate. The beach sounded like the perfect getaway. Even thought it was spring, the atmosphere would do much to lift everyone’s spirits. “I’d love that.” 

They cuddled in relative silence for a few minutes after that. Regina hummed against Emma’s throat. “If I wasn’t so tired both physically and emotionally and Henry wasn’t next door I’d fuck the shit out of you right now. We never got a chance to try out the rest of Dorothy’s toys.” 

Emma burst out into laughter at the remark. Regina followed suit and before long they were lost in laughter. Rolling around the bed, trying to catch their breath as the last of the tension rolled out of them. 

 

 

————

Emma called Ingrid the day after she returned. With Regina’s support and Ruth’s guidance, she decided to set up an appointment with one of the suggested therapists from Ingrid’s list. Regina had already set up an appointment for herself—ironically enough with the same man—so for once, after all of the setbacks and fear, came a little bit of hope.Henry would be next, but Regina didn’t want to push him so soon after the upheaval. He was still adjusting with his new living situation— though he  and Regina ran like an already established family. Even on the days Emma came to visit and stay over, the dynamic only shifted not fractured—and with his new life. Everyone was still paranoid. Neal was still out there. And though he’d yet to make an appearance, they all knew it was bound to happen. 

Which was why the trip to the beach was the perfect getaway. It was just warm enough to swim without wanting to die, and just cold enough that day to wear a cute oversized sweatshirt and nothing else. So they went. It had started out as just a Henry and Regina thing, but morphed quickly into an ‘everyone’ thing. They all met bright and early at Regina’s apartment. David offered to drive Regina, Emma, Henry, Miguel and Dante in a truck, while Graham, Belle, Ruby and Dorothy went in another car. Mary Margaret was taking a smaller car with Ruth. The drive was short and uneventful. Parking surprisingly easy. They found a nice spot to set up almost as soon as they got on the beach. 

While Regina and Mary Margaret set up the sitting area, the others raced to the water. Dante stayed at Regina’s side, preferring to stay under the shade, draped over the sand like blanket than doing any physical activity. As they maneuvered the beach chairs into proper positions, Mary Margaret cleared her throat. 

“It’s crazy how much of a little family this group has become. I’ve never experienced a group of complete strangers coming together like this..” She commented. Regina looked over at her with a slight scowl _(Why is she talking to me? I barely like her.)_ but she tried to hold back her initial reaction. Mary Margaret wasn’t a bad kid—not in the slightest—but something about her rubbed Regina the wrong way. Maybe it was her overly optimistic attitude most of the time, or her sugary sweet persona that seemed just a little too put on sometimes. Something made Regina want to punch her. But she had to get better. So she sighed and replied. “It is crazy. I hadn’t experienced camaraderie like this before Graham came. I mean I had friends, but none of them came together and turned into a unit like these guys did. My own family wasn’t as close as we are.”

The chairs were finally set up, so she plopped down on the on nearest Regina and sighed. “My mom died when I was like nine and my dad’s family was really distant. I didn’t have many friends growing up. I never thought I would get this. It's really nice...having people who aren't obligated to like you because you're related or because they _have_ to.”

Regina was stunned for a moment. Her story sounded eerily familiar to Regina’s own life. She never would have guessed it by just looking at the young woman. “It is nice. And I get it…My situation was kinda like yours. My mom was the worst and my father died when I was pretty young. I was isolated a lot as a kid. I wasn't the best at making friends. These guys helped me out a lot. It’s been a blessing having them around. Even if they can be dorks.” They both turned their attention to the dorks in question. They were having some sort of competition—moderated by Belle and Ruth of course. Something akin to wrestling that didn’t seem to have much of a point but was fun to watch. hey were all smiles. All laughs. And it was the cutest thing Regina had seen all day. 

“They may be dorks…but they’re our dorks.” Mary Margaret said as she reached into the cooler and pulled out a can of creme soda. She offered Regina one and the brunette took it with a shy smile. 

 

 

————-

 

Henry started school the next week. He’d been ona version of a sabbatical since the incident, but he finally felt ready to go to school. So, after his morning shift Regina and Emma took breaks from work and brought him to school. Regina could have gone alone, but Emma could read her from a mile away and knew she was anxious. So she offered to be a chauffeur. When they arrived at the school, Miguel was waiting outside for Henry. Perched on the steps, looking around nervously.

Emma chuckled. “Go kid! Before you give your boyfriend a heart attack.” 

Henry blushed at her comment and practically ran from the car to grab his bike from the trunk. Regina followed. Just before he could leave, she took his hand gently.

“I’m only a phone call away ok? If you need anything do not hesitate to call. If you see anything or hear anything suspicious or that makes you uncomfortable call me. Are you sure you’re up for biking back to the shop after school?”

Henry sighed. “Regina—you’ve already done so much for me. I can’t possibly ask you to drop me off and pick me up from school every day.”

“Yes you can.” Regina rebutted. Henry rolled his eyes. 

“Besides, Miguel and I are gonna go on a ride after school on the park. It’s getting warmer so we thought it’d be nice. Is that ok?” 

“Of course! Just, text me when you’re on your way back to the shop ok?” 

Henry nodded. The bell rang in the background. Miguel stood from the stairs and Henry moved to go inside. Regina gently placed a hand on his shoulder. Then pulled him close. 

“Do well kid.” She whispered in his ear. “I’m here. I…”

“I know…me too. Thank you so much.” Henry whispered in a choked up voice. Regina pulled away at the sound of the second bell and reached up quickly to kiss his forehead. Then he was off, running into the school hand in hand with Miguel a small but bright smile on his face.

Regina couldn’t have been happier. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had so much fun writing Ruth. I always do. I don't know why. I hope you guys like her.


	16. Get Well Soon.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emma attends therapy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm still recovering from Avenger's Endgame, so I hope this was alright. I saw it this past weekend but I made the mistake of watching a Marvel movie earlier today and got thrown into a pit of my feelings immediately. So this chapter could come off as super emo.

“Good morning Miss Nolan how are you?” Dr. Hopper asked, as he led Emma into his office. It was bathed in low light. Calming music played from small speakers on his desk, beside pictures of beautiful landscapes and what appeared to be his family. Everything was calm. And on any normal occasion Emma would have been put off by the obvious _calm_ the office exuded but something about Dr. Hopper’s demeanor made her think twice. Helped Emma take a deep breath and consider exactly what she was doing her before flying off the handle and running off. 

“I’m good uh how’re you?” Emma asked. She sat back in the plush armchair across from the office chair Dr. Hopper sat in.

Archie Hopper was a thin man. Tall, with fading auburn hair, a shy smile and eyes as soft as flowers. He smiled at Emma as she got comfortable. “I’m doing well. I’m so excited that you’ve made the decision to call on me as your support. Which is what I wanted to talk with you about a little bit before we get started today.” He cleared his throat and put down the clip board he’d been clutching. “My allegiance is to you and only you. Nothing you say here will get back to anyone unless you _explicitly_ say so. The only time I am obligated to report back to anyone, is when you express that you are going to hurt yourself or hurt someone else. That’s it. Outside of that, you’re free to say and feel whatever it is you want here. I know you don’t know me yet. But I hope with time you’ll feel comfortable enough to open up to me. and if you don’t I have a number of other candidates I could refer you to.”

His voice was soothing. Caressing Emma’s insides like warm honey. For a striking moment Emma could vividly imagine herself spilling her guts to him. She gulped.

“Thank you for that. I uh appreciate it. It’s nice to hear it from the horse’s mouth—even if I already kinda knew it.” Emma confessed. Dr. Hopper only smiled at her.

“I’m glad I can give you a little bit of comfort. If you want, we can start today’s session with why you’re here? Or we can talk about something else.” He offered.

“No uh I’m ready to talk about what happened. I need to talk about it. I need to move on and get my shit together.”

“Moving on is always a helpful step. But first comes dealing with whatever it is that’s haunting you. So, in order to get to where you want to be you’re going to _have_ to deal with it. No matter how bad it gets. No matter how scary it gets. You _have_ to face it. Are you ready for that? Are you ready for what that will take?” Dr. Hopper gently asked. His words were soft but powerful. They put things in perspective for Emma.

Was Emma really ready? Or was she doing this as a punishment? Emma wanted to get better. To stay better. _Desperately._ But was she really ready to tear herself apart first to find the healthy, good stuff underneath the caked on shit? Emma looked away from Dr. Hopper for a second. Looking down at her hands and thinking over the last few days.She’d been doing…better. But not as good as she’d been doing before Neal. Things were ok. But Emma was still jumpy and unsure. Hesitant where she should have been confident and all around not the woman she wanted to be. (She’d been close to that woman those few months after the fire and before Christmas where things had been good and she’d been _good_. But that woman was gone now. Though she was close. Emma could find her if she was willing to rip herself apart first.)

Did she really want to do that? (Regina’s brightsmiles—not hindered with a lingering fear and darkness—flashed through Emma’s mind. A collage of her favorite moments over the past few months began and as they flickered by—her friends dancing drunkenly around her living room during dinner, the way Regina cuddled close to her in the morning when she’d been _sure_ she could—Emma knew her answer. She knew the truth.)

 Emma cleared her throat. “I’m ready…It’s high time I face this shit head on and stop letting it control me.”

 Dr. Hopper smiled a smile that was twinged with pride. “Wonderful. Let’s begin then. Tell me a little bit about your childhood.”

 

 

————-

 

The sessions went once a week every week for four weeks straight. Over the course of their time together, Dr. Hopper and Emma began to build a relationship. Some strange not-quite friendship that proved beneficial to Emma. She was truthful—blatantly truthful in a way she hadn’t been with anyone in her life—and in exchange Archie gave her tools to help her cope. The nightly nightmares returned unfortunately. But with the tools she’d been given Emma was able to calm herself down. And with Regina’s help, bring herself back from the edge of destruction.

Speaking of Regina, her sessions with Dr. Hopper went well as well. Though her trauma was less fresh, one of the worst possible triggers in the world for her had shown up and left her wrecked. Regina tried to act strong but it was obvious to anyone who knew her that she was struggling. She went away more often than she wanted to but with Dr. Hopper's help, she did well. Even with all the support they were getting, both Regina and Emma felt a sense of unease. Possible impending danger. Something was coming. And no matter how they tried to prepare, nothing eased the feeling. 

—————

 

“You said in your email the you’d like talk about something out of the norm today? “Dr. Hopper asked. He leanedback in his office chair, twirling the pen in his hand as he observed Emma.

She sat in her usual armchair, twiddling her thumbs and trying to keep her knee from jumping up and down She was failing. “Yeah. Uh, I’d like to talk about what happened. We’ve been getting closer to it, timeline wise, with what we've been discussing previously. But I had a nightmare last night that left all of fresh in my mind... so I uh wanted to talk about it.”

Dr. Hopper nodded. “Ok I can understand that. Well, I’m here to listen. So if you want you can just tell me what’s on your mind.”

Emma nodded back, and leaned back in her chair. Trying to appear as if she was wholly comfortable with spilling her guts. But it was obviousshe wasn’t. _(I have to talk about it .Keeping it locked up obviously hasn't been through working...Regina deserves to sleep more than 4 hours every night because she’s so worried I’ll wake up thinking I’m back there…I deserve to be able to hold my soulmate without fearing I’ll wake up with her neck in my hands.)_

 _“_ You’re not allowed to tell anyone about what you hear here today right?” Emma asked with just a hint of panic.

“I am not. And I wouldn’t break your trust Emma. Not after working so hard to build it. You can tell me anything.”

Emma took a deep breath and steadied herself.

“I’ve killed people.” She blurted out. It was abrupt but better that than more awkward silence.

Dr. Hopper’s eyebrows raised in what appeared to be surprise. “I assumed as much considering your status in the army and your missions. But I feel there is something else there.”

Emma snorted. “Yeah. There’s a lot there. I uh..all of this. All of the shit that’s been ruining my life for the past few months has been a result of this one mission…I was a solider for nearly 10 years and I never once questioned myself or my loyalties until 9 months ago…”

“What happened?” He asked hesitantly.

Emma cleared her throat and clutched the arm of the chair with a white knuckled grip. “I was assigned to this group of elite specialists…we were assigned highly classified missions we technically still aren’t supposed to talk about but—whatever. It was named the Team Alpha. It consisted of me: Codename Swan.Killian Jones: Codename Hook. One of my closest friends, Lilith Page: Codename Blackstar. My best friend since I was a kid, Ruby Lucas: Codename Red Wolf. Mulan Fa: Codename Red Dragon. Merida Dunbroch: Codename Black Bear. And Lancelot Washington: Codename Knight. We were a little family—you know. Worked together for five years, had each others backs every step of the way. Never once did I imagine my life without them….” Tears began to fall. Emma tried to catch them before they hit her lap, but they are too fast. She sniffled.

“Take your time Emma.” Dr. Hopper said. She nodded in response.

After a few moments, Emma recollected herself enough to continue. “I have two soul words ya know. One from Regina and one from Lily….She was my best friend. My other half in a way. She had my back in every moment of my life but I…I couldn’t save her…”

“What happened Emma?”

She looked up at him, her eyes swimming with a never ending sadness. A heartbroken sob fell from her lips as she recalled what happened. As the memories of her failure filled her mind. “There were so many of them. We were supposed to be extracting this asset. No funny business. In and out in less than two hours. But it was trap. Something went wrong and we ended up trapped in a building with about fifty armed enemies. They wanted blood. And they got it. Fuck. I—the details. Th-They get fuzzy. I was unconscious for a good chunk of it. And for another part suffering from a major concussion. Ruby was gone for the majority of it. But everyone else was awake. Fuck-- I can hear their screams at night sometimes. Lance and Merida. I can smell their blood, I can feel it sometimes when I’m on the edge of going out of it. Seeping through my uniform I pants. If I had been awake—If i'd not been so useless I could have—they all could have—" She broke off with another sob. 

The edges of her vision were collapsing. Fear and utter guilt welled up in Emma’s chest. Her breathing was getting out of control. She couldn’t speak, as her past overwhelmed her. Sent her spiraling to the edge of a panic attack. Dr. Hopper was up in seconds. He kneeled beside Emma’s chair, taking her hand. “Emma? Can you hear me?” She barely managed to nod her head. “Good. Great. You’re experiencing a panic attack right now. It’s perfectly normal, and you will not die you just need to match my breathing.” Dr. Hopper coached her through it. Trying to help her regain some semblance of control. When she was coherent enough to respond, he tried again.

“Do you want me to get Regina?” He asked.

Emma could only nod.

 

 

———-

 

 

 

Usually during therapy sessions, Regina would sit either in the parking lot with a good book or at the diner across the street snacking on a sandwich or two depending how the session went that day. Today though, Regina sat in the parking lot staring down at _that_ enveloped once again. Over the past few weeks, the urge to open it had been growing stronger. After the incident with Neal, the looming danger of the envelope seemed a moot point now. What could possibly be worse than finding out the man who killed your fiancee was also the father of the kid you considered to be you brother/son?So, with trembling hands and rush of determination Regina pressed her thumb nail into the top. As the paper ripped, the world seemed to melt away. Possibilities rushed forward. They were endless really. This was Killian after all. Just as the paper ripped the last bit, and Regina reached to open the envelope her phone went off. Blaring the Avenger’s theme—the tone meant to signalDr. Hopper. The sudden noise startled Regina, and she jumped so hard she dropped the envelope onto the floor and slammed her knee into the dashboard.

“Shit!” Regina called out, pulling her knee close to her chest to try and attempt to stop the throbbing, as she reached for her phone. “Yes? Hello?”

“I’m sorry to call you out of the blue Regina but I need your assistance. Are you nearby the office?”

Worry filled Regina. “Yes. I’m right outside actually. What’s wrong?”

“Emma is experiencing a severe panic attack. Though she’s mostly calmed down now, I think she would benefit from your presence.” He replied. Regina was unstrapped and on her feet in seconds. Ignoring her throbbing leg as she hobbled up the parking lot and into the office building.When she arrived at Dr. Hopper’s door, it was open. Emma sat on the couch across from their usual sitting area. Her eyes were clear, but streaks of dried tears clung to her cheeks. On instinct Regina moved to run to Emma’s side, but stopped herself. She was learning that running up to Emma when she was in this state could sometimes be the worst thing to do.

“Regina.” Dr. Hopper breatheda sigh of relief. “You got here fast.”

“Well, I _was_ in the parking lot. What happened? Is she going to be alright?”

“I’ll be fine ‘Gina. We were just…talking about something difficult. I got overwhelmed for a minute. But I’m fine now.”

“Are you sure?” Regina asked. She took a few stepped closer. Her hand reached out to cup Emma’s cheek and thankfully, the blonde seemed to need the comfort of her touch. She leaned into Regina’s hand and held it there. Then pulled Regina closer.

“I’m fine.”

“You did very well Emma. I know that was challenging. We’ve done a lot today, how about we end the session early and you guys go out and get lunch.” Dr. Hopper suggested. 

“That sounds nice.” Emma admitted in a quiet voice.

Regina smiled down at her. “Good. It’s happening then. Do you want me to call Ingrid? Maybe your mom too?”

Emma blushed, and looked up at Regina with an unsure expression. She didn’t want to come off as a burden—Regina knew that—but Regina also knew how much Emma needed to be surrounded by people she loved and trusted right now. (Though she couldn’t understand for the life of her why Emma began to trust Ingrid so quickly. It had been a full two weeks since she came back home—a month since the incident with Neal—and every day almost Emma called the woman. Regina would have ben worried had she not seen the motherly way Ingrid acted around Emma. The way she cared for her in the most platonic sense of the word.)Dr. Hopped helped them to the car shortly after that. Regina had almost forgot all about the envelope until they returned to the car. She hastily snagged it from the floor of her car just before Emma slipped into the driver’s side.

 “Are you sure you want to drive right now? I can call someone.” Regina said. (In the back of her mind, she could’t help but ruminate on how frustrating and humiliating it was to be a grown woman—a 29 year old woman who owned a very successful business and who had lived a very long time as an independent woman—that needed to call someone to pick her up like she was a teenager. Ok, technically she could drive—she just didn’t want to because of the complete and utter fear that overwhelmed her the second she put her hands on a wheel. She couldn’t even play Mario Kart with a fucking wheel.)

 “No, my motor skills are back. I need to focus on something other than what’s floating around my head right now. Can we go to Papa’s? I’m in the mood for pizza.”

 Regina looked over at her soulmate—Emma looked worn out. She was most likely exhausted. But it was clear she didn’t want to give in and go home just yet. Then nodded. “Sure. Pizza sounds great. I’ll call your Ma and Ingrid on the way.”

Emma only nodded silently before starting the car.

 

 

 

————-

 

Lunch was nice and quiet. Ruth got here before they did, and ordered pizzas just the way they liked them—which was a blessing. Ingrid came by the time Emma devoured half of a meat lover’s pizza with extra cheese. She was holding a pamphlet of some sort.

“I don’t mean to bog this very spontaneous and very awesome lunch down with shop talk but I had an idea this morning. I’ve been doing research and calling all my contacts all day and finally got everything set up. Can I just show you and if you hate it you can tell me to shut up?” Her words came as a rushed exhale and Emma couldn’t help but laugh afterwards. She’d never seen Ingrid so excited and her curiosity was peaked, so she nodded.

The pamphlet landed beside Emma’s plate. It was covered in pictures of sweet looking puppies. All in little vests. _(Holy shit they're service dogs.)_

“No fucking way.” Emma breathed.

“Is that a good response or a bad one?” Ingrid questioned. She wrung her hands uncertainly

“A good one. A very good one…ironically enough Dr. Hopper talked to me about the possibility of getting a service dog in the last session. I was excited but didn’t think I’d qualify.” Emma confessed with a blush. 

“Why wouldn’t you? Just because you didn’t lose a limb or suffer a permanent injury doesn’t mean you’re not suitable for a service dog. Besides, your PTSD could be considered a permanent injury. And though the service dog won’t be able to take that away, they might be able to support you and help make your life easier.” Then, Ingrid launched into a series of stories and explanations, all surrounded around the idea of a service dog. Just the thought sent a current of excitement through Emma. When she went to see Regina’s reaction, she was startled to see that the woman was far away.

Not in the way she often was—but in the way that suggested she had something on her mind. Something important.Emma made simple conversation throughout the rest of the lunch, though she knew she wasn’t really fooling anyone. Her mother kept a close eye on her at all times, and Ingrid tried to talk up a storm to keep the conversation from Emma. By the end of the lunch, Regina was still not all the way present. She was lost in her thoughts and seemed to be seriously contemplating something. It had been a long day though. And despite how much Emma wanted to know now what it was Regina was thinking of she knew she needed to wait. So, she didn't speak of it again that night. But she did bring it up. And the result was far from anything she'd expected. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm tentatively putting the cap at 25 for this fic. That number could change. I don't know. 25 seems to fit in with the map I have in my head but you never know. Hope everyone has a good weekend! Thank you for reading.


	17. The Late Christmas Gift.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The envelope is opened.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know why but I keep doing sexy stuff right before major plot points. I'm sorry lol
> 
> Also thank you so much for reading and commenting and giving kudos and bookmarks! This fic has officially surpassed my first which is crazy! I'm so thankful! Every comment and every kudos makes me smile so hard thank you.

It was late in the afternoon when Regina and Henry returned to the apartment. The shop would beclosed by Graham for the next few days. Henry had a research paper due that was worth more than half of his grade for English—so Regina was forcing him to stay at the apartment or the library to cut down on distraction. But before work came fuel. So, as the crossed the threshold of the apartment—greeted of course by Vincent—Regina spoke.

“You have any idea what you want for dinner?” She asked.

Henry leaned down to pet Vincent, his face pulling into a thoughtful expression. “I’m in the mood for something spicy…warm…anything but salad I guess.” 

Regina gave a small smirk at his response. “I can do spicy and warm. Get started on some of your homework while I cook. It should be done in about an hour or so.” Henry gave her a salute, before coaxing Vincent to follow him as he dragged his much too heavy backpack into the guest— _(No. His room.)_ Regina watched him go with a fond smile before catching herself and beginning to prepare dinner. 

She lost herself in the preparations—cutting the meat, preparing the vegetables and herbs for the spicy tacos—that she didn’t notice her phone going off. By ring number three Regina began to notice. She jumped, and took the pan of sautéed onions off the burner just as she reached for the phone. 

“Hello?”

 _“Hey ‘Gina. Sorry to call you out of the blue I just…wanted to check in. You seemed a little out of it today.”_ Emma said. Regina sighed at her mistake. She had been out of it today. Running on autopilot and letting the thoughts of the envelope and the multiple possibilities it held distract her. And Emma noticed. Now she was worried. Regina wanted to punch herself. She’d been trying to keep her worry and distraction under wraps at least for the time being. Emma should be focusing on her recovery and healing. Not worrying about Regina. 

“You know damn well I don’t care if you call meat three am. I love hearing your voice. Thank you for being so amazing…Something has been on my mind. It’s not serious—or at least I don’t think it is…If it’ll make you feel better maybe you can stop by after dinner. Henry will occupied with research paper the minute after he finishes eating so we can get the chance to talk." 

Emma let out a quiet sigh of relief. _“Yeah...that would make me feel better. But if you really don’t feel like talking today or at all—"_

“—I’m fine with it. Honestly, I think talking it out with you will help me put it to rest.” Regina interrupted. She didn’t want Emma to begin to think the worst.

_“Alright. If you’re sure. I gotta get going Ma’s almost done dinner. She’s forced me and David to sit down and eat with her tonight.”_

Regina chuckled at the put out tone. “Save me some leftovers if you can. I’d love to have Ruth’s cooking for lunch tomorrow.” 

Emma laughed. _“Sure thing babe..I uh…I’ll see you later tonight.”_

“Ok. Can’t wait. Bye.”

_“Bye.”_

With a click Emma was gone, and Regina felt lonely once again. Until a thud resounded from Henry’s room, followed by rambunctious laughter. She didn’t even want to know what he’d done this time. He wouldn’t be laughing if it was something serious, so Regina made the decision to leave him be with a roll of her eyes. 

 

———-

 

Even though Henry was half asleep after devouring four tacos, he still forced himself into his room and onto the new writing desk Regina had just bought him.

Regina pulled him into a brief hug and kissed his forehead. “Emma will be here in a minute but I’m here to help if you need it.” He nodded. 

“Thanks. Have a nice time with Emma.” He ended the sentence with a fake gag. It brought a laugh from Regina’s lips.

“I’ll try. Try not to rage quit writing about whatever it is you’re writing about.” Regina snarked. They both chuckled before parting ways.

As Regina cleaned up the remainder of dinner—only a few tortillas and a few pieces of spice coated fried fish—there was a knock on the door.

_(It’s ridiculous how she has to knock every time she comes over. Like she doesn’t practically live here…I should get her a key.)_

“It’s open. Come in!” Regina tossed over her shoulder. Instantly the door opened, and in came Emma Nolan with an arm full of Tupperware. Inside, was looked to be various foods, courtesy of Ruth. A wave of excitement came over Regina and she couldn’t help but squeal and launch herself at Emma. Ruth was a goddess in the kitchen. Whether it be cooking or baking, she was skilled as fuck. A fact Regina had only learned a few days ago, when she’d stopped by the shop with breakfast for the early openers. Regina had had to take a nap during her lunch break because the food was so good. And the prospect of having more sent her into a tailspin of excitement. This was the most emotion she’d shown in the past few days. 

Emma laughed as Regina came close, and without prompting handed over thecontainers. “I can’t help but feel a little disappointment that I’m not getting that kind of reaction right now.”

Regina placed the containers on the kitchen island and blushed. Then turned to give Emma a kiss. “Don’t be disappointed. I am ten times more excited to see you than I am to see the food. I just don’t get to have the food often. But I get to see you everyday—which I can’t help but thank my lucky stars for.” She pulled the blonde closer and into a deep kiss. She had missed the woman. Though they’d seen each other earlier that day, it was still hard some days to not be around Emma all the time. But out of respect and concern for Henry, Emma pulled back from nightly visits. Not to mention she was getting busier after her shifts with meeting with Archie and meeting with the trainers from an organization that could provide her with a service dog. Plus, it was rare during the time they did get togethernthat they were able to do whatever they wanted.

Arousal bloomed in Regina suddenly. Out of nowhere, her body decided to remind her of just how long it had been since they’d gotten the chance to touch each other. She sighed into the kiss, deepened it more. When Emm pulled away, Regina whimpered.

“Are you sure? We still need to have that talk.” She murmured. 

“And we will.” Regina assured with a quick kiss to the side of Emma’s mouth. She trailed kissed down to her soulmate’s neck, loving the shaky breaths Emma gave as she made her way down. “After I show you how much I missed you.” 

Emma could only nod as Regina pulled her into her bedroom. She would not risk being discovered by Henry just for a spontaneous and probably mind blowing quickie in the kitchen. They landed on the bed in a heap, with Emma underneath Regina both women wriggling out of their skin in excitement. It didn’t take long for the clothes to be on the floor, for tan skin and pale to meet. They had to keep quick and quiet—which could become a problem because the second Emma got her hands on Regina, the brunette had a habit of losing her damn mind. and both women wanted nothing more than to take their time—but they could manage. 

Regina pressed her lips to Emma’s sternum, continuing the path downwards and trying not to skip all together and bury her face between her lover’s thighs. She’d been craving a taste of her for weeks, but so much had been going on that it didn’t feel right. When she reached Emma’s belly button, the blonde put a halting hand in her curls. 

Regina’s eyes shot upward. “What’s wrong?” 

"Nothing. Fuck—nothing at all I just. I think it’d be easier for us both to get off faster if we did it another way.” Emma blushed in embarrassment as she tried and failed to say what she wanted. 

Regina reached up and grasped her hand. “Don’t be embarrassed love. What were you thinking? Tell me.” She gently coaxed. 

“I was hoping we could..your mouth on me but also mine on you ..if that makes any sense.” Emma blushed darker but Regina let out a whimper at her words.

“That sounds perfect Em. You want to be on top or me?” 

Emma's eyes widened at the approval. “You on top.”

Regina nodded and after a minute to two of adjusting, they got the hang of it. the affect was instantaneous. The arousal was punched up ten notches. Both women shivered with anticipation and dripped in excitement. Regina moved first, groaning as she got her first taste of Emma’s juices. They’d both been with women before, but the encounters had been forever ago. _(I forgot how much I loved this.)_ Regina thought as she pressed her tongue into Emma’s warmth. The blonde smothered a loud moan in Regina’s thigh, then pressed her own tongue onto Regina’s aching clit.They both moaned again. From then on, they lost themselves to the heat and wetness of their encounter. It didn’t take long for them both to learn what the other liked. Regina had Emma’s clit in her mouth in minutes, sucking on it and swirling her tongue around the slick bud. Emma could barely focus with the pleasure rushing through her, but she managed to press three fingers into Regina and thrust hard and deep. Regina’s back arched and she nearly took her mouth from Emma, but she kept her composure. 

It was nothing short of a miracle that Henry didn’t come in. Both womenweren’t concerned with keeping their volume down by the time their first orgasms came around, and by the second, more powerful ones all illusions of them keeping their encounter under-wraps was gone. When the final orgasm had been had and exhaustion was overwhelming, Regina barely had enough energy to bring her head up to the pillow before they both fell asleep.

 

 

———

 

Emma woke abruptly what felt like seconds later the someone pounding on the bedroom door. Her heart raced. Her breathing sped up just a bit, but when Regina groaned and pressed her face into Emma’s neck, she calmed a bit.

“Who’sit?” Regina mumbled.

“I dunno. I’m about to find out though. Let me up so I can throw some clothes on.” Emma replied.

Regina scrubbed her hand over her face as she rolled onto her back. “Hurryback. Can’t slp witout you.” She mumbled before falling into unconsciousness again. Emma smiled at her lover. After dressing quickly in the first clothes she could find—one of Regina’s oversized band shirts and a pair of her own sleep shirts—Emma pressed a kiss to Regina’s forehead before leaving the bedroom. 

Henry was sitting at the dinging room table, an open envelope and what looked to be pictures laying out on it. 

“Did you knock? What’s wrong?” Emma asked. She wrapped her arms around her waist as she inched forward. Henry’s back was tense. As she came closer, she noticed the tears falling down his face. She reached out to touch his shoulder, but Henry jumped back. 

“Don’t—just don’t. Explain this.” He pointed at the pictures on the table. Carefully, Emma stepped forward and looked over them. They looked to be stills of security footage. One was at a grocery store, the other outside of what Emma presumed to be Henry’s old apartment. The last she couldn’t make out. Emma recognized Henry and after a moment or two she recognized the man raising a threatening hand towards him as his father. Her brow furrowed. 

“What the hell are these?” She asked. 

Henry scoffed. “Like you don’t know. They’re from Killian. Did you two team up to find these or something? What the fuck?”

“What’s going on?” Regina asked from behind them both. Henry and Emma jumped at her sudden appearance. She was bleary eyed and half awake in another oversized band tee and sweatpants, but the tone of her voice suggested she was more worried than she let on. 

“I found the pictures Killian sent you. How the fuck do you have them and why would you keep them?” Henry snapped shooting up from the dining chair. Regina took a hesitant step back on instinct. 

“What pictures? What are you talking about?” 

Henry growled. “The envelope! You opened it and didn’t even bother to tell me there’s documentation of _this_! Why?!” He almost screamed. 

Regina’s face grew a shade paler. Emma’s eyes widened. “Regina…”

“I opened the envelope but never got a chance to look inside.” She confessed in a whisper. “That’s why I've been distracted. I’ve been thinking about what’s been in the envelope but been too scared to open it. I haven’t had time or energy to look through it yet. I—why—where did you find it?” Regina gasped. 

“In your work bag. You told me before we finished dinner that the references for my paper were in there. I was looking for them and knocked the bag over and saw…fuck. Why would he..I don’t.” A tear slipped down Henry’s cheek. “Why would he keep something like that?”

Regina pulled the kid into a hug, and let him cry out his frustrations and shame—though he didn’t deserve to feel any. His father’s actions were his own—while Emma took a closer look at the pictures. She knew Killian. Had worked with him for most of her life. His specialty had been covert operations and surveillance…Could these pictures be some shitty attempt at a gift?  “Was there anything else in the envelope?” She asked. 

“I don’t know. I didn’t look. I got distracted by those. I sure hope not.” Henry said. 

“Regina’s work bag. Where is it?” 

“In my room. On the desk. The envelope should be on top.” 

Emma moved to get it but Regina reached out a hand to stop her. “He gave it to me…I should get it…We’ll all look through it together but..if he meant for it to be given to me I should look first.” Emma nodded, and helped Henry to the dining room table. Regina came back quickly, though her hands shook as she held up the already opened envelope. 

“It feels like it has more in it. Lot’s more…Let’s say a silent prayer that what’s in here isn’t any worse than what he already put in.” She said, as she sat herself beside Emma and across from Henry. With a deep breath, she began to open the envelope.

There were more pictures. Lots more. It took a moment or two for Regina to place some of the instances but once she did, she bolted from the table and threw up in the nearest trashcan. Emma took over for her, hesitantly. The pictures were grainy and unintelligible at first. But after a few seconds of deciphering and wincing at every gag Regina gave, Emma figured it out. They were stills of security footage once again. Like something a company would put on the dashboard of a semi-truck to monitor the  truck driver’s route or something. The picture depicted what looked like a man standing in front of a car wreck. The pictures after it were enhanced stills of the security footage. The man was barely recognizable, until he turned to walk away from the car. Emma could see Neal's face clear as day. As well as Regina’s pain filled face in the background, and the headless figure beside her. Emma gagged and flipped the pictures over to hide them. 

But on the back, was a message:

_Dear Regina, I’ve put messages like these on the backs of every last bit of dirt I put in this envelope. Hopefully you’ll read one of them. Anyway, I wanted to explain myself a bit. After I burned down your shop (sorry about that—again) I went on a bit of a soul-search. I decided I’ve have to do anything I could to help you. Even if you didn’t realize you needed my help. So, I did some research, found out a bit about you. Then found the name Neal Cassidy. He’s connected to both you and that lad Henry from your shop. I have a private investigator friend who owes me a favor. He found this stuff out. His methods may be a little unethical but they’re untraceable. All you’d have to do is send in either this envelope to the right person or (to make sure it sticks) a USB drive full of this and more. If you want it and advice, call this number (206) 966-3224. Ask for August Booth. I hope this helps. It will never be enough to atone for what I did but I hope it's a start. -Captain Guyliner_

_“_ No fucking way.” Emma murmured.

“What? What’s wrong? What’s going on?” Henry asked frantically. Emma had purposefully angled the pictures away from Henry once she figured out what it was, and hid the message as well. She swallowed as she realized that now they’d have to tell him. Regina had planned on doing it eventually, but certainly never this way.

“Killian…he brought us evidence. Your dad’s got friends in the force right?” Emma asked.

“Yeah, his brother Michael is the chief of police.”

“They’re covering fro him. Deleting security footage and shit like that…But Killian’s friend found it. He gave it to us to use…and the number to the guy who did it so we can get more…” Regina had finally stopped gagging, but her breathing was labored and it was obvious she was on the verge of sobbing.

“What..What was on that picture that made her so sick Emma? Please—I know I’m just a kid but this involves me too. He had pictures of my dad…and if the theme continues whatever it was that made Regina sick had something to do with him too. Which means it’s connected to me. Just tell me..Please.” Henry pled. His voice cracking as he tried to hold strong.

Emma sighed. “Well….You know about her car accident right?”

“Yeah..The one that killed her fiancé…are you saying he..” Henry couldn’t even get it out.

Emma only nodded, but the second she did Henry’s face crumpled and devastation flashed across it. He ended up in Emma’s arms, sobbing his heart out.

 

———

 

They all eventually made it to the couch to turn on some mindless kid’s movie. Henry fell asleep with his head on Emma’s lap.

“What are we going to do with all of this?” Regina whispered. She ran a hand through Henry's hair. 

“We’re calling that number. Then we’re gonna pull up all the dirt we can and show every last bit of it to the police.” Emma replied. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! I agonized over what would be in that envelope for the longest time but I like what I came up with. Feel free to let me know what you thought of it!


	18. Much Earned Celebration.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The gang heads to visit Killian's friend, gets advice and a birthday is celebrated.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so so so sorry this is a day late! I had a last minute event a few hours before I usually post and like a dumbass didn't upload this to a draft so I couldn't edit it or post it while I was out. Then I couldn't get to my laptop to post until this morning. I hope you enjoy this chapter despite the lateness of it. Some sexy times ahead, so keep an eye out. But no major plot points yet lol.

Emma and Regina called Killian’s friend the day after the envelope was opened. The call was uneventful. Mostly consisting of name dropping and hinting at but not explicitly stating anything. They agreed to meet that weekend to discuss options. The P.I’s office wasn’t too far from where they lived, so it wouldn’t be too much of a stretch to get to him. They left in the early morning, using Graham’s truck. (Emma really needed to her her hands on  car. Ruby offered to lend her one of her and Dorothy's several, but she refused on the basis that her pride just wouldn't allow her to keep a car that she didn't 'earn')

Henry and Miguel (who had insisted on coming for moral support) sat in the back, petting Dante who was stretched out at their feet. Regina sat in the passenger seat curled up and covered up with a blanket. It was a reasonably chilly day. The wind was howling and rain was on the horizon, but it was gorgeous. Emma rode smoothly all the way to the office of one August Booth. It was a small building. Unassuming from the outside. But when they reached the door, a high tech security system greeted them. A mechanical voice sounded from a little box beside the door. 

“This is private property. Unless you have an appointment—fuck off!” The voice snapped.

Emma’s eyes widened in surprise. Henry let out a snort, as did Miguel. Regina leaned closer. “We have an appointment. Under the name Swan.” She said. No response came from the comm for a time, before the connection cut back on and a man spoke. He sounded familiar. 

“Come in. I’ve been waiting for you. The dog can come in.” Then the door buzzed and opened of its own accord. The little group paused before stepping inside the little building. The inside was completely different then the outside. It was cozy and almost homy on the inside. A juxtaposition to the near desolate exterior. A man waiting for them at the top of a narrow staircase. 

He smiled down at them. “You must be Emma and Regina.” He pointed at them. “Then Henry. And I don’t know you. Jones didn’t mention you.” The man pointed at Miguel with a confused expression. Miguel squinted his eyes and stepped forward. He squared his shoulders. 

“My name is Miguel Rivera. I’m Henry’s soulmate. I will not hesitate to sick my dog on you if you step one foot out of line.” Miguel promised in a hiss. Henry choked on air at his words and gently hit Miguel’s shoulder. 

“Miguel! You can’t just go around threatening people!” Henry scolded in a high pitched voice. Dante looked up at with a startled expression. He'd never heard that sound come out of that human before.

The man at the top of the stairs chuckled. “Yes he can. I commend him for taking a stance so early. He’s setting the tone. Putting up a stance so I know he'll throw down if necessary. I appreciate that. Come on up. I’ve got lots the show you.” 

The upstairs was just as cozy as the downstairs, just full of high tech equipment and most likely highly illegal and highly sensitive information. August looked like and so much _unlike_ someone Emma figured Killian would hang around with. His chestnut hair and square jaw, covered in what was almost a beard was rugged enough to belong to some biker. But his calm demeanor and honest words were a stark contrast from what they all had expected. He didn’t waste any time. Only introducing himself shortly and hopping onto his desk to pull up the numerous files he had. 

Henry and Miguel perched themselves in the corner, leaning over Henry’s phone in an effort to not look at whatever it was August had to show. Henry had refused to be left behind, but he’d been adamant that he didn’t want to overstep his boundaries in terms of Regina’s accident. So he vowed to only pop his head up when he heard his name. 

After a few minutes of fiddling, August pulled the files up. 

"Here we are.” He sighed. “Do you want to look at any of this before you take a copy or do you just want the USB and my advice?” 

“…The USB and your advice would be best for now I think. With the kids here I don’t think we should be playing anything…and I don’t think I want to see it right now anyway. I trust it is what you say it is.” Regina replied. She swallowed harshly, her eyes glued to one of the monitors as the numb nail of one video popped up. It was of a dark road—barren save for one pair of headlights Emma knew had to be Regina’s. She reached out for Regina’s hand and squeezed it. 

“Yeah. If we can just get the USB and get some advice that’d be amazing. We don’t want to inconvenience you for much longer.” Emma said. 

August snorted. “You’re not inconveniencing me. If anything you're making my day. I’d much rather be doing this—even if it is for free—than recording some middle aged millionaire fuck a prostitute like I always have to do. This is much more fulfilling.” 

The computer chirped. August took out the USB and handed it to Regina then crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back in his chair to look a them. “Ok, so—My advice. First things first, keep that thing around your neck until you figure out what else to do with it. You told me over the phone the police were a no-go so fine. Think of another avenue. I'll be doing what I can here to secure something for you,  but it'll be hard. That evidence is graphic. But you need it. So keep it close. I have a feeling that guy will do anything he can to keep himself out of jail. And you all have been hurt enough by him. Speaking of which—a little birdie told me that he’s out and on the prowl. So I had an idea. Check that black duffle bag under the desk there.” He pointed and instantly Emma reached down and picked it up. 

It was heavy—but not suspiciously so. “What’s in it?” Emma asked. 

“Lots of stuff. All of it useful in helping you lot stay safe until he’d arrested and put away for good. A security system for both apartments. A panic button for each of you—minus one, sorry Miguel—and a few other gifts. I had a feeling you’d need it.”

Both Regina and Emma were stunned to silence for a few moments. Never once had they imagined the meeting going like this. Never once did they think this virtual stranger would give them something no-one else had been able to. Security. And with his resources and skills, he could keep an eye on Neal for as long as it took for them to get gain the courage to turn the footage into leverage. But at what price. _(This guy wouldn’t be given this services out for free. No way. What the hell does he want?)_ Emma speculated. Silently, when the first inner voice wasn't followed by another for the first time this week, she gave a shout of joy. _(Thanks Dr. Hopper)_

“What do you want? In exchange I mean.” Emma snapped. She stared at August, her shoulders squaring and steel coming into her voice “You can’t be doing any of this for free.” 

“Nope.” August divulged immediately. “I do one—let’s call it a pro-bono case—a year. Killian pushed this into my lap and got me so interested I couldn’t resist. You’ll be paying by staying alive. And Killian is giving me small percentage of my usual fee so you guys won’t have to pay. But he is.” 

Emma was stunned to silence. 

“Did I hear you correctly? Are you saying Killian Jones for our security and the takedown of Henry’s father?” Regina questioned harshly. 

“You heard correctly. Now, before you go let’s go over a few safety procedures and shit like that.” 

 

 

————

 

Despite the elation that came with finally having the evidence of Neal’s crimes in hand, no-one knew what to do with it. With Neal having such close ties to the local P.D, the only option was to take the evidence outside of the law. But that would mean practically broadcasting Daniel’s death for all to see. Not to mention the abuse Henry had been forced to endure. So, even with August’s protection and surveillance, a dark cloud of uncertainty hung over the shop and Regina’s apartment. No-one outside of the trio that had been present that night knew the true extent of the evidence, but the others knew something serious had gone down. All three of the individuals involved were lacking in their usual spirits at every point in the day. Days passed without a word.

Regina’s birthday was fast approaching. She had no idea what she wanted to do for it. This year was the first since the opening of the Forbidden Fruit that Regina would be able to take a day off and not fear her shop imploding. With Graham there to watch over the things she usually did and David and Henry there to keep things afloat she actually felt comfortable leaving for a day. Life was mostly peaceful. ( _If you can ignore the elephant in the room: That is the drunk one that killed my fiancee and also happens to be Henry’s Dad and who is probably gonna try to murder Henry again.)_

And Regina wanted to enjoy that as long as she could. Because in her experience, peace never stayed in her life for long. 

 

 

—————

 

On the First of February, Regina woke to a skilled tongue between her legs on the edge of an orgasm. She came with a quiet keening cry, clutchingblonde hair and jerking her hips towards her lover’s mouth. When she was spent, she fell back against her pillow. Her breathing shaky.

Regina let out a breathy chuckle. “What was that for?” She asked. 

Emma pressed a kiss between her thighs, then moved up to her lips. Regina moaned at her own taste. A bright smile filled Emma's face. “It’s your birthday. That’s the first gift of many. Happy Birthday babe.” She kissed Regina’s blushing cheek.

“Thank you…Already this is turning out to be one of the best birthdays I’ve had in a long time.” Regina confessed. 

“Oh love, it’s just starting. You’ve got the day off. And once Henry finishes giving you his present and leaves for his shift, I’m gonna fuck you six ways sideways.” Emma promised in a serious tone. But Regina couldn’t help but let out a laugh. 

“Six ways sideways? Where did that come from? Like—I've never heard you say that. How do—It’s sideways—“ Emma rolled her eyes with a smile and moved to get up. 

“You know what I meant. Get up and get dressed. I smell Henry’s gift.” She playfully smacked Regina’s backside before getting up and throwing on a pair of sweatpants and a tank top. Regina followed her lead, but threw on a t-shirt and shorts instead. They stepped out of the bedroom to be smacked in the face with cinnamon, brown sugar, syrupy goodness. 

_(Holy shit! Pancakes!)_

Music was playing from the kitchen. Something low, but catchy and most likely something from the to forty of the past week. Henry danced in the kitchen, leading with his ass as he moved around the kitchen flipping pancakes, making coffee, scrambling eggs and the like. Regina and Emma watched him for a few moments, stifling fond laughter with their hands, until he turned to say something to Vincent (Who’d been perched on a stool near the kitchen island as usual. Watching Henry with some mix of fondness and disgust.)  His eyes grew wide. He almost dropped his spatula. 

"Don’t stop on our behalf. That was quite a skillful display Hen.” Regina commented with a small laugh. Henry blushed. 

“Thanks. I’ve been practicing for months. I hope it made you happy. Because it’s your birthday. And the whole point of this breakfast was to make you happy. So hopefully, if the food is shit the memories of my dance will cheer you up.” Henry said in a rushed of an exhale. His words were slightly silly, but his tone completely serious. 

Regina froze. Her emotions conflicted between something mushy and totally going to lead to tears and pure laughter. She could hear the sincerity behind his words. The way they were dead serious. The way he urged her to know just how much he wanted her happy. It was a form of a thank you. A form of an I love you. And Regina wanted to wrap him up in a hug but also laugh at how ridicule she looked in an apron that was the torso of Hulk muscles and all. She settled on some form of both. A tear fell down her cheek as she let out a small laugh. 

“Sure thing kid. Come on. Feed me before breakfast gets cold.” 

 

————-

 

Breakfast was spectacular. The pancakes perfectly fluffy and perfectly flavored. The eggs were perfect and bacon was just crispy enough and the coffee was amazing. Regina had a smile on her face the entire time she ate. But before long, her smile dimmed just a bit. Henry had to get going for his shift. And then he’d be off to school, and she wouldn’t see him again until later that evening, when Dorothy and Ruby took them all out for Regina’s birthday. It was weird how attached she was to the kid. She’d known him for maybe a year, but her instinct was always to check on him. Always to care for him. She loved the little idiot. And made a point of letting him know as he left the house.

Regina pulled Henry into a hug just as he slipped his backpack on and pulled out the key to his bike. “I love you kid. Thanks for breakfast. It was amazing.”

Henry froze. His hands hovered above Regina’s back. But then, all at once, he melted into her embrace with a tiny sigh. “Love you too Regina. Thank you for…everything. I’ll see you tonight.” 

“Ok. Have a good day.” 

He sent Emma a wave and blew a kiss at Vincent before leaving. When the door locked behind him, Emma cleared her throat. She took a step closer to Regina. 

“Uh, remember that promise I made you earlier.” Emma said. 

Regina chuckled. “Yeah the six ways sideways thing?” She replied

“Yep.” Emma took a step forward and grasped Regina’s waist. She leaned over to whisper in Regina’s ear. “You still up for it?”

Regina could only nod before she was over Emma’s shoulder and rushed into the bedroom. Gently, Emma tossed her onto the bed. Then she was on her. Fiercely kissing her and making her lose all sense of time and reality. Regina was fully engrossed in the feel of Emma’s lips pressed against her own. The way her lover pressed her tongue into her mouth, swirling and moving in ways that were sinfully distracting. She pulled back quicker than Regina expected. They both were panting.

“What’s wrong?” Regina asked. 

“Nothing. Nothing at all I just—what’s the one thing you’ve been wanting for a while that we haven’t done. I want to give you what you’ve always wanted.” 

It didn’t take long for Regina to think of what she wanted. She’d been craving it for months. Since she and Emma became ‘exclusive’ she’d staid up all night filling herself (but never quite being able to manage satisfying herself in the way she needed) and imagining Emma between her leg fucking her until she lost her mind. Regina nearly whimpered at the prospect of having her deepest desire. She almost didn’t say anything. Or said something that wasn’t truly what she wanted. But one look at Emma’s lust filled eyes and ruddy cheeks and Regina knew if there was a time and place for it—it was now. 

“I want you to fuck with the biggest strap on you can find in this house. I want to be so full of you I lose my mind.” Regina confessed in a quick whisper. Emma froze at her admission for a split second before groaning and kissing Regina again. They traded kisses for a while. Starting off as fierce and moving quickly into utterly filthy. Hands wandered and clothes completely came off before Emma got up in search of the bag. She came back with three different options. A pink one that looked to be just above the average size of a dildo, a flesh toned medium one that made Regina swallow—then finally the piece de resistance—a big glass one. It was bigger than anything Regina had had before, but she could tell just by looking at it that it would fill her up in ways she’d only dreamed of.  

Regina whimpered as Emma came closer, strapping the harness on as she walked. 

“Are you sure you want to do this babe? This one’s pretty fucking big.” Emma said. She looked slightly concerned but when she caught sight of Regina’s dazed expression, her doubts faded. They were gone completely when Regina let out a breathy plea.

“I’m sure. I _need_ it. Please. Please give it to me Emma.” She whimpered. Her hips were rolling towards the toy, and as Emma fixed it onto the harness she had to reach down and press her palm to her clit to calm the throbbing. 

Emma moaned at the vision Regina made. Her dark hair splayed out, her tan skin so perfectly flawed and soft. She looked like a goddess. Emma moved onto the bed and they made quick work of the preparations. Though it was quick Emma didn’t skimp on the most important things. Kissing the soul words on Regina’s hip (as she always did when they made love), making sure Regina was stretched out thoroughly with her fingers and making sure that Regina felt like the queen she was. Before long, the glass dildo was covered in lubricant and Regina was eagerly spreading her legs. The tip alone sent shivers down Regina’s spine. Her thighs began to shake as Emma slowly fed her the rest. By the time it was halfway in, Regina’s back was arched and tears were threatening to fall from her eyes. Emma paused. She shot Regina a concerned look. 

“Are you alright love? Do you need me to take it out?” Emma asked, worry evident in her tone. 

Regina could only moan and shake her head. She’d always been a bit of a size queen. Craving the stretch and fullness only a hefty member could provide. But most men weren’t as naturally endowed as her body craved and she never trusted the other women she’d been with to have her in this way. But Regina trusted Emma implicitly. And she’d never craved this experienced more than with her. So she gripped Emma’s ass and pushed her closer, letting out a loud moan as the last few inches of the dildo slid in. 

Regina was filled to capacity. Her body overwhelmed in the best sense of the word. She couldn’t think. She couldn’t speak. Only moan and push her hips towards Emma’s. They settled on a rhythm. It was slow and deep—but not too deep—and fulfilling in a way nothing else had been in so long. Regina was soaking wet, keening at every thrust and crying out as her body stretched around the toy. Regina lost herself. Her eyes closed, tears streaming down her face as she moaned and moaned and gripped Emma’s hands as a killer climax snuck up her spine. Emma was panting, the base of the dildo rubbing against her clit and sending her as well. It didn’t take long. Regina’s hips sped up. Then Emma's did as well. Regina came first, arching her back to a painful angle, letting out the most delicious sounds and not caring who heard them as she road the hardest most overwhelming climax of her life. Her body ached as she clamped around the huge toy. But it felt sublime. Emma followed behind her overtaken by the image of a completely and utterly debauched Regina. 

When Regina couldn’t take it anymore, she whimpered but didn't ask Emma to pull out. 

“Just wait a sec...I don't want it out yet.” She whispered in a hoarse voice. 

Emma kissed her neck and nodded. “Ok love. I got you. Just relax.” When Regina was ready, she gave a nod and Emma immediately slid the toy out as gently as she could. Once it was fully out, Regina collapsed on the bed, and fell asleep almost instantly. Emma had barely enough time to take the harness off before she too was asleep. 

 

 

——-

 

They stayed in bed all morning. Going back and forth between fucking and cuddling. The toy was used at least twice more.  By noon, the couple decided to focus on recovering from their adventures. By four, Regina felt she could walk again without having her legs shake. By the time the shop closed, and Graham was outside to pick them up both Emma and Regina were mostly recovered. They got dressed for the mysterious night out (though it was only mysterious to Regina. Emma knew exactly where they were going and snuck in suggestions of what Regina should wear but not giving away the location).

Regina wore a form fitting blue dress. The straps were thin and the cleavage cut low. It had a slit in the side that was just high enough to be distracting but low enough to be tasteful. Her heels were sky high and her hair was left mostly loose. Her curls thriving for the first time in a while. With her red lipstick, and smokey eye makeup, she looked like a vision. Emma struggled to keep her hands off Regina.She wore a simple red shirt and tight pants. High ankle boots and a leather jacket did the trick. They both looked good enough to eat. 

When they came down to the lobby to greet Graham, he wolf whistled at them. 

“Damn! I don’t think I’ve ever seen you two so dressed up.” Regina rolled her eyes while Emma gave him a how. Posing and showing off her muscular frame. 

“We need to put your modeling career on hold. Ruby says if we’re late she’ll revoke all her presents.” Graham interrupted. They were off before long, on the way to some venue Regina couldn’t fathom. 

When they pulled up outside the shop, Regina gave a confused glare. “What the hell?” She quietly murmured. 

“I’ve just gotta pick up a few things. I need some help though. Can you two assist?” Graham twisted in his seat to look at them. Emma got out almost immediately, but Regina groaned. 

“It’s my birthday! I shouldn’t be doing any labor whatsoever!” She whined. 

Graham poked out his lip in sympathy. “You’ll be fine for five minutes. Come on. The faster we get this done, the faster we get to your celebration.” He patted her knee then left the car. 

Regina wanted to sit in the car and throw a tantrum in all honesty. It was her day! Her birthday! The first truly pleasant one she’d had in years! She didn’t want to spend it hauling equipment into the trunk of Graham’s car. Admittedly, this would probably only take like twenty minutes but still! Begrudgingly, Regina exited the car. With a huff and a slammed door she stalked up the path that led to the shop and entered. Only to get the shock of her life when the lights turned on and her friends all appeared before her eyes wearing colorful hats and banners.  They didn’t yell _(thank fuck)_ because it was the _worst_ of bad ideas to have loud noises around ninety percent of the staff. But they did all cheer for her as loud as they dared when Regina recognized them. When her heart stopped beating so fast and she recognized the evening for what it was, Regina laughed. 

“You fuckers! I can’t believe I missed this!” She yelled.

“You were a bit occupied baby.” Emma commented, hugging Regina’s waist and kissing her cheek. “Surprise!” 

Regina turned to look at her soulmate with a shocked look. “You fuckface! You were in on it! How could you?!” 

“How could I not? I knew how much you’d love this so I had to come help. Come in! Enjoy yourself. Get drunk—but not too drunk.” Before Regina could respond again Emma dragged her further inside. 

Her friends had thought of everything. A beautiful lavender and white cake hand made from Mary Margaret sat on a table in the middle of the room. Around it, were several presents and beautiful balloons with Regina’s face on them. Fairy lights were strewn practically everywhere. Music played in the background of the evening, which Regina recognized as her favorite Fleetwood Mac album.The shop looked beautiful. Beyond stunning. And with it filled with Regina’s family, all of them tipsy (except Henry and Miguel of course) dancing like they were crazy and laughing like they were free. Singing karaoke like they were on a world tour.

It was amazing. 

 

 


	19. Man's Bestfriend.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emma meets her new best friend, and Henry's panic button is turned on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I low-key struggled with this chapter. I'd planned something similar to what happens, but then wrote something else and eventually scrapped it all last minute and had to brainstorm something else lol. I've been through the wringer the past few hours, but I hope you still enjoy this. It's little short but the next few chapters will probably be behemoths. We're quickly approaching the end of this story, I can't believe it.

After many weeks of preparation, paperwork and training, the day came for Emma to meet her service dog. She was beyond excited. Though she had been doing better the past month or two, having support and potentially having a buddy who knew exactly what to do if she were to have a full blown episode was reassuring. Emma had been on edge almost constantly. Though she’d managed to compartmentalize, she was still hyper aware of her mental state and went out of her way to avoid any and everything that could possibility trigger her. Except things involving Neal. He was a proven trigger for Emma, but she had no choice but to deal with his presence in her life—for now. It would be nothing but irresponsible and insensitive for her to turn away from the situation. She couldn’t avoid him or any mention of him for Regina and Henry’s sake. So Emma pushed. Pushed herself to ignore the flashbacks and moments of panic in favor of keeping a calm facade for Henry and Regina. (Not the healthiest of tactics, but it'd have to work until Neal was behind bars.)  

Meeting and taking home the dog would be a welcome break and welcome asset to her life. Today, David took off to drive Regina and Emma up to the facility. Henry wanted to come along as well, but with his finals coming up Regina forced him to stay home and study. He’d protested but eventually agreed reluctantly. Emma and David came down from the apartment at around nine in the morning, excitement buzzing between them. Regina sat at one of the tables, sipping at a to-go cup of coffee and holding onto a container holding two others. Emma raced to her side. She kissed her soulmate’s forehead before snatching up the coffee. 

“Have I ever told you how much of a lifesaver you are?” Emma asked. Regina rolled her eyes and laughed. 

“Many times. Yes. Here, David.” She handed the man his cup. “Next time, don’t just call me a lifesaver—give Graham some props too. He's the one that made these. I just ordered them." David playfully grabbed a few dollars from his wallet and threw them into the tip jar. Graham saluted him with his middle finger while Emma took Regina's hand. 

"You know—I really appreciate you. Just in general being the best soulmate ever. Best girlfriend ever. I know this isn't the most romantic thing ever—having to go with your  soulmate to pick up their service dog. But you've been nothing but supportive and wonderful.Thank you so much." Emma pressed another kiss on her forehead. Regina blushed.

"It's no less romantic than having to fight your half conscious girlfriend when she's dissociated. As long as this helps you Em, I don't give a damn if it takes away from the perceived 'romantic stuff'. I just wanted you happy and healthy."  They kissed again just as David came back, the keys to Graham’s truck jingling in his hand. _(That poor bastard barely got a chance to use his own damn truck. Once again, make a note to get a car. David’s not going anywhere—maybe we could go half on one.)_

“The appointment is at noon. We’d better get going if we want to be on time.” David said. 

Without another world, the trio was off. All of them almost jumping with excitement as David drove to the facility all the way on the other side of the city. 

 

————

 

The facility was much likea very nice suburban house. The only thing differentiating it from the others they’d seen on the way was the expansive set up in the back and front yards. It was clear the areas were meant for training, but Emma couldn’t help but think they looked like a little puppy daycare. As the car pulled into the driveway, Emma could spot several puppies being tested in the little side enclosure. She stared at them, wishing she could put her face in their little bellies. They were always so warm so and soft.Regina came up behind her wrapping her arms around Emma’s waist. “Would you get a dog as a pet?” 

“Of course!” Emma responded quickly. “I’d love nothing more than to have a house full of animals ya know? The only problem is that you’d be at the shop all day and I’d probably be there too—so unless we take them with us who’s gonna watch them?” 

Regina hummed with a smirk. “I’m happy to hear that I’m in your plans for the future.” 

Emma snorted. “Of course you are. I can’t imagine my life with anyone but you—and I don’t want to.” They locked eyes. Regina reached up for a kiss, but just as Emma’s lips brushed against hers Ingrid called out. 

“Emma! Regina! David! You’re here! Thank the lord! We’re all so excited for you to meet Dug.” She said with a bright smile. 

 “Dug? Is that his name?” They hadn't known for sure what his name was. Only that today was the day they'd get to meet him. Hearing his name made Emma's heart flutter.

“Yep. He’s inside—as are his trainers. They’re all so excited to meet you. Come on, I want to see you two meet.” She grabbed Emma’s wrist and pulled her inside the facility. 

It looked like a home—sensibly furnished and holding a very homey vibe that set Emma at ease. The trainers were in the meeting room—which would have been a living room on an average home— seated on the couched petting a very fluffy golden retriever. He was cute as a button. His big brown eyes and constantly hanging tongue made for the cutest picture. He just _looked_ dopey and derpy in the cutest sense of the word. But when he caught a whiff of Emma’s scent, he straightened up, his tail wagging and his ears pointed to attention. He looked up at her and Emma could see the effort it took for him not to launch himself at her.

She nervously laughed. “Can I say hi?” 

His trainer, a young asian man who was few inches shorter than Emma and who had the chubbiest cheeks she’d ever seen, chuckled. “Of course you can. He’s as eager to meet you as you are to meet him.” Instantly, Emma ran forward. She tried to hold herself back but it’d been so long since she’d seen a dog. She wanted to cuddle him and kiss him and give him peanut butter. Emma fell to her knees before him, looking down at his sweet face and giggling when he kissed her cheek. 

“Yeah.” Ingrid commented in a choked up tone. “This was a good idea.” 

Dug and Emma bonded on the floor of the meeting room for an hour. David, Regina and Ingrid watched with teary eyes as Emma lost herself to the joy of her new friend. They were perfect for each-other. Dug was just the right amount of dorky to make Emma’s heart melt and laugh at the same time. And he fit seamlessly into the dynamic of the most important people in Emma’s life (excluding Ruth and Henry for now). His energy was contagious from across the room. And when his leash was let go, he shot to Regina’s instantly, pushing his nose into her hand and whining. 

Russell—his trainer—stepped forward but Emma beat him to the punch. The word spilling out of her mouth before she could stop them. “Looks like someone’s got a crush.” She commented. The room dissolved into laughter. 

“Not exactly.” Russell gently said.“He’s actually letting Regina know her pulse rate is within range for a panic attack. Though he’s technically not working right now he’s been trained to ascertain Emma’s needs—which include being able to tell when she’d distressed by the sound of her pulse. He’s a very intelligent guy—and not just intellectually intelligent either. Do you suffer from PTSD?” Russell asked Regina. She blushed slightly  but nodded. “Well that explains it. He’s got a habit when he’s not working to be a bit of a mother hen. He’s trying to offer you comfort.” 

“Will it be distracting for him to have more than one person in distress at once?” Regina asked. Her tone was full of concern and a hint of guilt.  

“No. He’ll be good. But, if you have any problems don’t hesitate to call us.” They all nodded and hesitantly, Regina let herself pet Dug. He flopped onto the floor and gave her his belly almost instantly. They chatted for a little while, and with a teary farewell from his trainers—and a promise form Emma to bring him back for a visit— Dug left with his new family. He sat in the back with Emma the entire ride, and within ten minutes was asleep in her lap. 

 

 

———-

 

Things went well for a week. Emma didn’t stay over Regina’s as often as she would have liked as she tried to help Dug acclimate to helping her. She only had one slight episode during the first week, and the moment it began Dug was there comforting and helping her through it. After the first two days, he went to work with Emma.It was harder than she expected to tell people he couldn’t be touched when his vest was on. Their disappointed faces stung a little bit. But ,to her surprise, most people were very respectful. A few even stayed as long as they could to give him some pets after his shift was done.Dug did well. He was the goodest, sweetest of boys. When he was working, he was beyond focused. Helping Emma calm herself down, catching her before she fell straight into a panic attack and bringing her a burst of life and energy she hadn’t been expecting. Basically, doing his job  above and beyond. But, when he wasn’t working he was just another pup, rolling around in the grass with his tongue out and asking for belly rubs. (to Emma’s embarrassment he preferred Regina’s belly rubs over Emma’s. Once the vest was off he’d seek her out, asking her to rub his belly and behind his ears.) 

On the morning Regina and Emma were to pick up Henry from school for dinner at Ruth’s new home, Henry’s panic button went off. August had explained that the little white disk around their necks would blink blue if someone within in a certain vicinity was in trouble, but not in serous immediate danger. It was meant to glow red if the person was feeling threatened. Regina’s flashed purple, letting out a frantic screech. Then her phone went off, telling her his exact location and the last time he used his phone. He was still at the school—thank fuck—but he hadn’t used his phone in fifteen minutes. 

"Shit!" Regina cried, instantly texting August, letting him know of the situation so he'd be up to date. He was still trying to clear a path for them to release the footage and though they hadn't talked in a while he needed to be kept in the loop.

“Whats wrong?” Emma asked. 

“Henry’s in trouble. We need to get to the school as fast as possible.” She said. Dug gave a worried whine from the back seat. Emma didn’t hesitate, stomping her foot on the gas and going as fast as she could. Regina closed her eyes the entire ride, holding back tears and vomit as the car swerved in and out of the way of other parents picking up their kids. _(Fuck Neal.)_ Her mind hissed. They landed right in front of the nearest entrance without a scrape. Regina shot out of the car, tripping over the lip of the curb but getting up in seconds to run towards the campus of the high-school. Emma on her heels.

After an immediate sweep, they couldn’t see him. Panic rose. Adrenaline shot threw Regina, clouding her judgement and stopping her —luckily—from thinking of the nauseating possibilities of his lack of appearance. She knew he wouldn’t have punched the button on accident. Regina had lectured him for an hour yesterday on safety and proper protocols and the hundreds of reasons why he shouldn’t cry wolf with that thing. And she trusted he wouldn’t play with it. So, he was in trouble. Possibly the type of trouble they’d been both anticipating and dreading since that night outside the shop. Before Regina gave into her instinct to yell Henry’s name, a figure shot out of the front doors of the school. It was familiar.

“Regina! Emma!” Miguel cried. His face was drawn tight with worry. “Henry he’s—”

“Where is he?” She questioned harshly. He didn’t say anything, only grabbing her and dragging her into the school. Emma stuck close. Dug sticking close to her side.

“I called the principal.” Miguel said. “He said he’d call the police and the superintendent as soon as he could and to just keep an eye on Henry. But Neal locked the bathroom door and blocked the windows. _I’m so scared._ Fuck he’s already tormented Henry enough. Why does he feel it necessary to continue?” Miguel questioned, before stopping in front of a bathroom. Just as he said, the door was locked. The sound of low voices speaking could be heard. Then a loud crash. Miguel lashed out with a fearful cry, launching his fist into the door. Regina pulled him back.

“We’re gonna get him out. Find the superintendent and make sure they’re here within the next five minutes.” Regina commanded.Miguel looked up at her—his brown eyes filled with nothing but anguish and fear—and Regina couldn’t resist the urge to pull him into a tight hug. “He’s gonna be ok.” She promised before pulling away and letting Miguel run down the hall.She trusted that Miguel would find the superintendent soon. But she knew every moment counted. Every moment Henry was trapped in that bathroom was a moment he was trapped with the man who’d done nothing but hurt him. Regina refused to let him go through that a second longer. She pulled out two bobby pins from her bun and began bending.

“I don’t know why I’m surprised you know how to do that.” Emma commented. 

Regina gave a tense chuckle. In seconds, the bobby pins were bent in the forms Regina needed them in and she was sticking them in the lock. As she twisted them and jerked them, hoping with all hope that she’d hear the telltale click, Emma searched for a weapon. Nothing lethal. Just something big enough to knock Neal out with. She'd already knocked him around before, but the abusive asshat obviously hadn’t learned his lesson the first time. She settled on a thick broom from the supply closet. Dug pressed himself close to her leg. His warmth bringing her comfort and keeping her grounded.  

"Thanks bud." Emma said, patting his flank. 

The door clicked out of nowhere. Regina ripped it open and tried to run in first, but Dug—to everyone's surprise— moved past her and rammed himself into Neal. The man fell into the wall beside Henry with a thud. He'd backed Henry into a corner literally, the poor boy's hand was still clutching the panic button when Regina entered. Tears streamed down his pale face. A bruise was blooming on his cheek already. Regina sprinted forward and past Neal's now prone form. (Dug had his ankle, and was keeping a tight hold on it, giving off menacing growls occasionally that brought out the most pitiful whimpers from Neal.) Henry fell into Regina's arms, and let her drag him out of the bathroom. Emma was on their heels—her eyes the tiniest bit glossy—and with a whistle, so was Dug. As Dug's fluffy tail passed the threshold of the bathroom, Emma locked the door and slammed it closed.  

“What happened? Are you ok?" Regina questioned, taking Henry's face into her hands and checking over him as best she could. He let out a tiny sob. 

"I'm fine. Just scared shitless. He came out of nowhere as I was getting ready to leave—started apologizing and trying to get me to leave with him. He looked high but he never did drugs before! I was so scared!" He tried to say more, but ended up just sobbing into Regina's shoulder. His whole body was shaking, his tears came fast and Regina could tell that he was still completely and utterly terrified. Footsteps ran down the hallway adjacent too them.

"Henry?! Shit Henry you're ok!" Miguel yelled. Henry detached himself from Regina immediately and fell into Miguel's arms. Behind the boys, Emma and Regina could see three uniformed officers running. Keith Nottingham lead the pack. 

"Where is he?" He asked. Emma held Regina back, pulling Dug's leash to hold him back before pointing to the bathroom. The superintendent came up with the key, and opened it as fast he could. The officers burst in, their yelling and commands echoing in the bathroom until suddenly they fell silent. 

"What happened?" Henry asked.

"Who knows? Maybe Neal killed himself. That would be a blessing." Regina murmured under her breath. But, as the officers walked out of the bathroom, forlorn looks on their serious faces, she knew that wasn't the case. 

"He's gone isn't he?" Emma questioned. 

Keith nodded. "His blood is at the scene. So, we can assure the courts that he _was_ here. But he must have escaped out of the window. Because there's no sign of him now." 

Emma growled and let go of Regina for a second. She began to pace up and down the hallway. Dug tried to calm her, pressing his cold nose to her elbow and whining to get her attention but it didn't help her agitation. "This is like a bad horror movie! This guy is a human fuckin' being! Not Jason Vorhees! How does he keep getting away!" Emma yelled. Dug whined again. 

"The first time was because of Sheriff Darling. This time he got lucky. But his luck will run out the third time. I'm so sorry you all are being so negatively affect by our inability to do anything. I assure that we'll do everything in our power to bring him in and keep him." Keith promised. Once the testimonies were given, and witnessed interviewed, he took Henry, Miguel, Emma and Regina to the shop. 

The others hovered, doing everything they could to make them feel comfortable. But no matter how many scones they brought and hot chocolates they brought, the little group didn't feel any safer. And they wouldn't until he was behind bars—or dead.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!


	20. The Living is Easy.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> August makes a breakthrough and Henry gets some stuff off his chest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a weird little note: I have a thing for naming in detail personal preferences of different characters. I've been holding back from doing it in the past but I really love to just pick and choose random little details that are utterly pointless and put them in. Like what ice-cream flavor someone would pick or what candle they would pick. It's strangely important to me...No-one cares but I felt the need to share and apologize in advance if it gets annoying in the future. If like half of a chapter one day is just descriptions of the candles and outfits and shit a character would pick. Ok bye.

They figured out what to do with the evidence a few weeks after meeting with August. During the wait, they had tried to go about their lives as usual. But with August sending periodical check-ins and the looming threat of Henry’s father’s reappearance (because they all knew that the bathroom incident was not the last time they’d see Neal. No matter how much they wished otherwise)hanging over their heads, everyone was still tense. It was in the middle of the week—Wednesday night, during a marathon of Survivor to be exact—that August called with good news.

_“I’ve got dirt on Michael Darling.”_ He began. Not even bothering to say hello.

Emma— who had answered the call—sent a confused glance towards Regina. Her soulmate shrugged. “Who?” Emma asked. Her tone was so inquisitive that Dug popped his head up from Regina’s lap and looked up at her. 

_“Michael Darling! Neal Cassidy’s brother! Well—technically adopted brother because he was adopted into the Darling family at around 13 but that’s not important. What’s important is the fact that Michael Darling has been connected to various smuggling operations through toy factories in the area. Or he has been now. I noticed a certain bank account or three popping up in the logs and traced them back to both Michael, his older brother John and Neal. They’ve all been doing some shady business for the past few years. I’ve been able to get all three of them on tape at the smuggling cache looking so suspicious its laughable.”_ He sounded gleeful.

“And you plan on using that to force Michael out of office so we can drop the USB off.” Emma finished for him. It was a brilliant plan. Beginning an investigation into Neal as well as his brothers—making all of Michael’s decisions over last few years come into question. Not to mention putting someone new and hopefully unbiased in charge. Emma was shocked at how well it was working out. (Unconsciously, she knocked on three times on the wooden coffee table. For good luck.)

_“Exactly.”_ August agreed. Emma could hear his smirk over the phone. _“You’ve read my mind. If you lot consent, the ball should be rolling by tomorrow afternoon. I’ll give him a week to make up his mind and if he takes too long I’ll send the videos and stills to the local news station.”_ August cackled manically—though realistically, his voice was so charming it came off as nothing more than a dramatic laugh. Emma chuckled at his display before putting him on speaker phone.

“You’re on speaker now. Henry and Regina are here. They heard everything I presume” She looked to them and they both nodded. “You guys down?”

Surprisingly, Henry was the first to say yes. “It’s time to end this. They need to be held accountable.” He said.

Regina hesitated for only a moment before agreeing as well. “It’s time…We’ve all been hung up on the things these men have done for too long. Do it.”

And August did. He sent security footage of Michael Darling fleeing the police station looking pretty twitchy, box of possessions in hand, trying to reach his car a week and a day later. Michel had gotten an email, in which was attached a link to the various security videos and pictures of him and his brothers doing illegal activities. He’d been told to—in a sense—abdicate his office to one Keith Nottingham or else the videos would be sent to every major news station in the country. He’d waited a week before conceding and giving up his position to Nottingham. Little did he know though, that on the morning of Nottingham’s promotion ceremony, the videos would be sent to every last detectives personal phones as well as the stills plastered on bathroom stalls.

August was a fucking genius. 

 

————-

 

John Darling went AWOL from his very lucrative real estate firm in California the same morning Michael left his office. August figured Michael tipped him off as soon as he’d made his plans. Which meant Neal was in the wind as well. In the interest of safety, he’d upgraded the security measures and ran through a few escape plans just in case.

Neal Cassidy was a dangerous man. He was capable of heinous crimes. They all knew. But they’d only scratched the surface.

A package came to Regina’s apartment the day after August reprogrammed the panic buttons to call the police and the security system on Regina's apartment door to call the police if an unfamiliar visitor stopped by. It wasn’t marked and didn’t have a return address, but Emma knew by the symbol stamped on the front—the emblem of a pirate ship, complete with a skull, crossbones and a little hook—just who they were from. There was no personalized message this time just a happy birthday sticker. 

And also a fucking gun.

“He didn’t! How the fuck did he manage to do this?!” Regina yelled as she shakily picked up the box. She held back the urge to pick up the gun itself— it was a simple, sleek black handgun. Government model by the looks of it—but Emma read her mind and picked the thing up. Both Regina and Henry squeked, moving out of the way of the dangerous weapon.

Emma rolled her eyes good-naturedly. “You do know I spent years training with things ten-times more advanced than this. This is child’s play compare to the rifles I had to deal with. My body still hurts from the kickback. You both couldn't be in safer hands.”

“Just because you know how to handle it doesn’t mean you should.” Regina hissed. She held the box up under Emma’s hand. “Drop it.” 

“Regina.” Emma sighed. “It’s fine. You’d better get used to seeing this around. At least until Neal’s in prison. I have a feeling Killian sent this to you for protection. August must have told him about the bathroom incident.” 

Henry let out a sharp breath. His back hit the front door and he let himself fall down the ground, across from where Emma was kneeling with the gun. “He’s liketwisted guardian angel or something. I bet if I asked he’d put a hit out on my dad if I asked.”

“Don’t say that too loud.” Emma chided. Her eyes glinting with a hint of fond remembrance. “He’d actually do it. He knows a guy who knows a guy. But we won’t be doing that unless it’s a final resort. But I think August will get him this time.” _(I hope so at-least. I told myself I’d never kill someone again…but if it comes down to it…)_ Dug came over quietly, sensing her inner conflict. After sniffing Emma’s cheek he placed a kiss there and planted his furry head on her shoulder. She chuckled and pet him. “Thanks bud. Why don’t you guys go get dinner started…I’ll put this away somewhere. But we’ll be discussing where it is so in the event that you have to use it, you know where it is.” Emma said seriously. Regina looked defiant but Henry looked damn near excited. She sighed and stood. 

_(Damnit Killian.)_

 

_———-_

 

The longer they went without hearing word from Keith about Neal, the more antsy Henry became. Emma and Dug were over practically every day now, which set Regina at ease, but seemed to irritate Henry. Regina grew more and more worried by the day. Summer was just around the corner once more— _(Fuck! It’s crazy how it felt like yesterday  was Christmas. It’s been a whole year almost since Emma came.)—_ and the excitement Henry should have been feeling at the prospect of being free from school wasn’t present. Miguel tried to warm up his spirits as often as he could, whipping out his guitar and flashing his adorable dimple whenever he got the chance, but it only seemed to help a little.

So Regina decided to take matters into her own hands. 

On the last day of school, she had David drop her off at the building. Patiently, she waited on a bench just outside. At 2:30  on the dot, a horde of high school kids burst from the doors. Cheering and smiling bright smiles as they tore up their books and trashed their papers. Henry and Miguel were somewhere in the middle of crowd. Holding hands—their matching promise bracelets glittering in the sunlight—they walked down the staircase and almost right past Regina. 

She stood up just in time. Henry’s smile grew as he noticed her. He pulled her into a tight hug. “What are you doing here?!” He asked. 

“It’s the last day of school! I had to come and celebrate with you. But I can leave if you and Miguel have something planned.” 

“Oh no—you guys are good. I have to help my parents today anyway. Some problem with the shoe store. We have all summer to hang out. _Buenos tardes amor_.” Miguel pressed a kiss to Henry’s cheek before running off the find his bike. Henry kept an eye on him as he left and blushed when the boy sent him a kiss just before taking off. 

“If you don’t feel like hanging out toady we can just go back to the shop.” Regina offered. Henry was quick to turn her down. 

“No! I actually had an idea. There’s this ice cream place around the corner from here. All the cool kids hang there but it’s lost it’s interest now that it’s been there for like six weeks. We should go and grab a bite.” 

Regina raised a skeptical eyebrow. “Are you sure you want to be seen with little old me? The crazy lady who owns the coffee shop that burned down? I could kill your social life.”

Henry laughed then took Regina’s arm and began walking her to the shop. “I don’t give a damn what those kids think. You’re one of the best people I know. They can suck my ass if they’ve got a problem with me hanging out with _my_ crazy lady.”

Loud laughter echoed down the streets as they walked. They were so preoccupied with their conversation and with enjoying themselves that they didn’t see the figure following close behind them.

 

 

———

 

The ice cream shop was a cute little corner. Full of bright colors and pleasing aesthetics, Regina and Henry found they couldn’t be anything but happy sitting inside.They ordered a half dozen donuts to split between the two of them, and two small cups of specialty ice-cream. Regina ordered an espresso flavored ice-cream, topped with chocolate sprinkles and strawberries. Henry ordered a cupcake flavored ice-cream with rainbow sprinkles and pieces of cookie dough. Between the two of them—surprisingly—they managed to scarf down a good number of donuts and finish the ice-cream in record time.

They talked for a bit. Discussing menial things before Henry came out of left field with questions that nearly made Regina fall out of her chair. 

“Do you..Do you see me when you look at me? It sound stupid but I worry sometimes—a-lot actually—that you see Neal when you look at me. And not Henry.” He quietly questioned. Regina’s eyes nearly popped out of her head. His perpetual sullenness made sense now. He was upset because of the revelation of what Neal had done to her. He thought Regina couldn't separate his father and him. But after swallowing the last little bit of her blueberry pie donut, Regina answered.

“I never did. And I know for a fact that I never will. He may have helped bring you into this world, but you are your own person. A person who I happen to love a-lot.” 

Henry didn’t look up at her. But he played with the sprinkles on his donut before responding. “Do you hate me because of what he did?” 

Regina nearly choked on air. “No! Of course not! Why would you think that?” She asked. 

Henry sniffled. “Because I hate me…You know I remember the night he got into the car accident. I was like thirteen or something. I’d done something to piss him off and so he left the house with a bottle in his hand and said he was going out for a late-night drive. He came back with blood on his hands—literally and figuratively. I didn't even put the pieces together until recently. It's my fault! How do you _not_ hate me when Daniel's death is my fault!  If I hadn’t—

“Don’t you do it! Don’t go there Hen. I know well enough that blaming yourself for someone else’s actions will get you nowhere. Neal made the choice to go out that night drunk off his ass. And Neal made the choice to not call the police when he saw me nearly dead in there. _He_ made those choices. And he could have made different ones. Better ones. But he didn’t. And that’s got nothing to do with you.” A tear fell from Henry’s eyes, landing right on the table. Splattering into his donut. Then they kept coming. And Regina couldn’t help but pull him into her arms and hold him.

Never in amillion years had she imagined that he’d be harboring something so horrible in his strong little heart. Regina wanted to kill Neal for putting Henry through this. Putting them _all_ through this. In some way or another, ever person at the shop had been effected by Neal’s poor choices. Emma had spent weeks on the streets, out of her mind and losing almost all the process she’d made over the past few months. Regina had ended up with her fiancé’s head on her lap and a lifetime worth of pain and suffering. Henry had spent years under his thumb, being brutalized and spat on at every turn. Their friends and family would forever be worried. Forever be scarred from seeing their loved ones and knowing they hid some inner darkness. And all of that was because of Neal. He’d caused so much suffering and yet, he’d managed to take part in helping create one of the most amazing beings Regina had ever had the pleasure to know.

When Henry had cried out all his tears, Regina silently helped him up. They called an Uber and headed straight back to the apartment. They fell asleep on the couch, watching one of the hundreds of Baking shows they frequented, Vincent rolled up on Henry’s lap.

 

 

————

 

The next night, Regina asked Emma to drop her and Henry off at a place she hadn’t been in months. She was ashamed to admit that with all that had been going on in her life she had neglected the place that had become her safe haven for so long. The meetings were held in a gym a few blocks away from Belle’s shop. Regina took a deep breath, and tightened her grip on Henry’s hand as they walked in. Tonight’s group was for the support of those who had essentially grown up with—(as Regina had put it so long ago)—‘the world’s shittiest parent/s’

Regina had invited Emma inside for solidarity, but the blonde had expressed how she felt that this was a ‘Henry and Regina moment’ so she drove off not too far away to have a quick dinner with Ingrid and Ruth. (Ruth had recently gotten an apartment in the city, deciding to rent out her old home in Storybrooke for now and stay as close to Emma as possible. So she and Ingrid had unintentionally gotten closer after checking in on Emma at the same time several occasions over.They were becoming close friends now, and it wasn’t uncommon to see the two together.)

“Regina? Is that you?” A familiar voice asked. Regina had come to rely on that voice so many times in the past and a hot both of shame hit her core as she remembered just how neglectful she’d been of her friend. Regina turned to greet Zelena, the leader of the group. She was a few inches taller than Regina, with fiery red hair and bright blue eyes. She and Regina had been very close when she’d been coming frequently, but Regina imagined with sudden cutoff of contact that Zelena hated her guts.

“Hey Z. I’m sorry to pop up her like this out of nowhere I just—” She was cut off bytight hug. Zelena wasted no time in hugging the shit out of her.

“I was so worried about you! When I heard about the shop and all that shit I nearly came over myself. But then I had some urgent business over seas—my daughter, the dumbass, got into a shit load of trouble at her boarding school and I had to sort it out for her. I just go back a few weeks ago. I've been meaning to stop by the shop.” Zelena pulled back. Her eyes swimming with emotion. But she glanced over Regina’s head and spotted the clock. It was time to start. She sighed. "We’ll have to catch up over drinks sometime soon. You aren’t getting rid of me that easy. Now come, sit. You don’t need to speak if you don’t want to. Just be courteous of others and their stories.” 

Before long everyone was seated. People of all shapes, sizes and ethnicities sat in the circle. In the room there was a strong sense of camaraderie. Of friendship and support that would have made anyone’s heart swell.

The session went as it usually did. Zelena began with introducing herself. Explaining a little bit about what the group did and the different ways one could get involved. Someone to Regina’s left went first. Then the person in front of her. All of them either airing their grievances with their shitty parents or talking about something recently that stirred up a bad memory. Regina watched out of the corner of her eye as Henry payed close attention to every word that came out of their mouths. His own mouth opened a few times as if he wanted to say something. But he held back.

Regina cleared her throat and leaned forward a little in her chair. Once the person before her was done, she raised her hand for the talking totem (which was really just a plush toy of the icon, Groot).

“I uh…I haven’t been here in a while. I’ve actually been doing ok. Found my soulmate, created a little family, have a nice little business and all that nice shit. But…it’s funny how even when everything’s wonderful or even in the midst of something completely unrelated, the tiniest thing can remind you of _them_.” All of the participants nodded and hummed in agreement. Regina continued cautiously. “I was in an ice-cream shop yesterday afternoon. It was one of those new-age ones that cuts its modern music with the oldies and I heard this song. I never knew the name of it, but it’s haunted me for years. She used to play it at night…specifically on the nights she’d be at her worst. When the whiskey and wine just weren’t enough. When nothing would make her feel better but hurting me. It was like a warning sign. If I came home and heard that song playing I had a choice—either head in the house and hide for as long as possible or run right out the door and pretend I was at the library…I almost always chose to go inside. Because I wanted to comfort her. I wanted to make her feel better even if that meant having to hide bruises the next day or having to skip breakfast and lunch the next day because I was so nauseous….God..”Regina huffed out a bitter laugh. Someone handed her a tissue and she took it with a quiet thanks. “I haven’t thought of any of that in _years_. I’ve blocked it out as much as I could. I only bring it out when I’m here but even then there are some things I keep hidden…I just needed to get that off my chest I guess. It was fresh. Someone else can go.” She held out the totem for someone else to take, and to her surprise Henry was the one who took it. 

He cradled it in his hands for a few moments, then took a deep breath and spoke. His words were quiet. His confessions sobering. And Regina wanted to cry for him. But she knew that this would help. Getting it out would be better than keeping it in. So she kept a hand on his back the entire time. Even after the night had ended, and most people were getting up and leaving, she sat beside him and comforted him. 

Then her phone went off. The emergency ring-tone reserved for August. After beckoning Zelena over to sit beside Henry,  Regina moved closer to the door and answered.“Hello?”

_“He’s been arrested. Apparently he’s been snooping in the city for the past few weeks. I think he’s trying to get Henry before he skips town…But he was at your apartment Regina…One of your neighbors called it in.”_

Regina went dead silent. Her heart stopped. She didn’t know what to say. Didn’t know what to do. So she stood in the doorway and tried not to topple over. Was this it? Could this finally be the nail in the coffin? As long as the  USB landed in Keith's hands Neal would surely be sentenced to something and Henry would be able to live his life without being in constant fear. But the churning in Regina's gut said otherwise. She had a feeling that things were only going to get worse before they got better.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! Only four chapters left and an epilogue!


	21. Time Heals.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Neal's lawyer shows up and Regina decides to move on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm a little bit unsure about this one. I like it but still. This is a bit of a transitional chapter. My idea for this last little bit of the story is to bring official closure to the characters. Have them confront their pasts so they can move on with their lives without constantly carrying around their past ya know? I hope that translates well. Thanks for reading!

“Are you sure you want to do this Henry?” Regina questioned in a worried tone. 

The teenager huffed and rolled his eyes for what felt like the tenth times in as many minutes. “Like I said before—I need to be sure. I won’t be able to sleep tonight if I don’t get to see with my own two eyes that he’s in that cell. Besides, I know seeing it will be just as reassuring for you too.” 

Regina sighed. Emma gripped the steering wheel with white knuckles as she turned into a parking space the sheriff’s station. Neal had only been there for a few hours.  From the moment Henry received the news that his father was being arrested, he insisted on coming to see for sure that was at the station. If not for the pleasure and relief it would give him to see his father so vulnerable and out of control, then for the simple fact that—up until this point—every attempt at apprehending him had failed. Miserably.And Henry wanted nothing more than to see his with own two eyes as his father was put away. To watch as the man who tormented him for years was put in his place. Regina had been hesitant to say the least to let him go, but in the end—with a little convincing from Zelena—she called Emma.So, here they were, climbing out of Graham's truck waiting for Ingrid, Ruth and Zelena to pull up in their cars a few spots away. They wouldn’t be coming in but they’d promised to be outside for moral support.

Regina and Henry held each other's hands in a tight grip as they walked inside. Emma walked beside them, her hand on the small of Regina’s back. Dug trotted beside her, keeping his head high and his eyes peeled.Keith greeted them at the entrance. “Perfect timing." He said. "He’s just been processed. He hasn’t said a word to anyone—outside of hurling insults and calling his lawyer. She should be here within the next five minutes, so you’ve got until then to say whatever it is you want. If you hit him, give me a head’s up so I can ‘clean’ the security cameras. Ok?” 

The trio nodded. He led them straight to the holding cell. Two guards stood outside of it with their hands on their belts, inches away from their guns. At Keith’s nod, they stepped aside and let Henry step close.

Neal lay on the cot, despondent and unresponsive. He only moved when Henry spoke. And even then it, was nothing more than twitch of his lips.Henry’s was voice tearful but full of a festering anger and resentment. “I never thought I’d see the day you had to pay for your actions. Not once in my entire life did I ever think anyone would care enough to figure you out and take you in. But it happened. And I can guarantee you it’s only gonna get worse. I hope you rot in hell.” Regina reached out to grab his hand as he turned away. Emma pulled him into a side hug as they began to walk away.

Then, laughter began to echo from the cell. It got louder and louder as they tried to leave, soon enough turning hysterical. Neal sat up from his cot, leaning forward to address them. “You really think you won don’t you? Haven’t you learned yet—I’m untouchable. I know it was you that got Michael out. And that’s fine, he was a pussy anyway. But just because he’s out now doesn’t mean his sphere of influence is. I’ll be out by sunrise. Best believe.”

“Keep dreaming fuckface.” Emma growled as she turned to look at Neal. She took a step forward. Dug let out a sinister growl.“You’re gonna be buried so deep in your own shit you’ll drown. And no-one will mourn you because you’re a disgusting piece of shit who doesn’t deserve to live let alone have a son like Henry!"

“That’s enough! Back away from my client please!” A stern voice called out. A cold shiver ran down Regina’s spine. She tightened her grip on Henry’s hand. He shot her a worried look. She shook with fear as she turned to look at the owner of the voice.

The face she saw nearly buckled her knees.

“Mother?” Regina asked in an uncertain voice. She was hoping—No, _praying_ —that she was imagining things. Every cell in Regina’s body was praying to God that she was mistaken. That the woman before her wasn’t really her mother. But no such luck. 

It was _her._ Cora Mills. She looked different. Both worse and better. Years of living a hard life left her looking worse for wear. But she was put together. Obviously having fulfilled her lifelong dream of being a lawyer. (She’d gone back to law school after Regina’s father’s death, deciding eventually to pursue her career and nurse the grief of her husband’s death with a steady diet of  liquor and frequently taking it out on a then 11 year old Regina.)

They locked eyes. Regina wanted to throw up.

“Regina? My God, I haven’t seen you years! You look so grown up my darling.” Misty eyed—Cora tried to come closer and reach a hand out to Regina’s cheek, but Emma slid into her path. 

“You’re his lawyer?” Emma questioned harshly. 

Cora squinted her eyes at Emma, but responded. “Yes, I’ve been Mr. Cassidy’s lawyer for the past few years. What concern of that is yours?” 

“I’m Emma Nolan. Regina’s soulmate. AKA: The soulmate of your _daughter_ —the woman who was nearly killed by your client!" Regina grabbed the back of Emma's jacket as she took a step towards Cora. The blonde sighed. She could sense that Regina was beginning to lose control of her senses. Being faced with her mother was sending her spiraling. In order to heal she needed to go home and rest. So Emma tamped down the urge to beat both Cora and Neal. "It’s been a long day and an even longer night. We're leaving now. Keep us updated Keith. And don't even think about coming near Regina unless she explicitly asks for you.” Emma sent Cora a glare. Dug pushed Cora out of the way with his body as Emma led Regina and Henry out of the Sheriff’s station.

Regina didn’t even make it to the car. Halfway out of the parking lot she slumped against Emma. The last of the fight leaving her for now.

 

———-

 

Zelena drove them to Ruth’s apartment. Ingrid easily could driven them to Ruth’s, but Zelena had insisted on the basis that she needed to be sure Regina made it home safe. Emma didn’t protest too much. Not with Regina in the state she was. Being at escorted to her mother’s was better than going back to Regina’s apartment right now. Emma didn’t feel safe taking Regina or Henry back to the apartment that had so easily been broken into. She called David and asked him to pick up Vincent and take him to her apartment. _(Which is totally took small for four people and two pets—to stay in. Damnit)_

While Ruth helped Henry get set up on the couch, Emma tucked Regina into the guest room. She kissed her soulmate on the forehead and tucked a stray curl behind her ear. She didn’t move an inch. But her breathing calmed. She’d be out for a while.

A knock sounded on the door. “Come in.” Emma called.

It was her Ma, holding out a tray of tea. “How’s she doing?” She asked.

“Better than I expected. She stopped dissociating about half an hour ago. Now she's sleeping. She'll most likely be sleeping for the rest of the night, if not for part of tomorrow. If she keeps going at this rate, she'll be fine by tomorrow night." Emma stroked Regina's cheek tenderly.

“I'm glad she's doing better. I was so worried when you brought her to the car.” Ruth responded with a tear filled voice. It was obvious that she was beyond worried. Emma reached out and grabbed her one Ma's hands. It was hard to remember at times that her Ma was extremely inexperienced when it came to mental health issues. She was trying so hard, but still with Emma living her own life and Regina trying to keep a strong face on at all times she didn’t get to see any other side outside of the ‘good days’ often. Seeing this must have been ten times more shocking and scary than the first time Emma saw it. She'd had experience with dissociation during her time on the battle field. She'd seen many a soldier lose themselves to their minds for years. So it hadn't truly been a shock to her system the way it must have been for Ruth.  

"I know you must been worried and I know this seems kind of crazy but trust me when I tell you she's doing better than she normally does. She would usually be gone for hours before coming back and falling into proper sleep. But she's already improving. Even if she has a nightmare tonight, she will be doing better than she's been doing when not faced with both of her worst triggers at once."

A tear slipped from Ruth's eye. "I can't imagine how you all deal with this. It scares me how much you all had to go through. I wish I could take all the pain away. Make it so none of those things happened to you. Any of you." 

Emma squeezed her Ma's hand gently. " I know Ma. I know. But you can't and that's ok. We're all gonna be ok." She pulled her mother over and into a tight hug. They sat at Regina's side for a while, watching as she rested. Ruth left an hour later. Dug climbed in beside Emma, resting his head on her shoulder and reaching a paw out to touch Regina's side. 

 

\---------

 

Emma's predication was accurate.

Life resumed the next day. Regina woke embarrassed but better the next morning.  Henry nearly suffocated her with hugs when she stepped out of the spare room,as did the pets andRuth. Regina called Dr. Hopper, and he provided some solid advice. Though even with his guidance it was hard to not hide in a closet at the thought of having to see her mother again. She wasn't as afraid of her as she once but Regina had no desire to see her any time soon. But knowing Cora she'd show up any day now.  Any day now, Cora could taint the wonderful little slice of love and happiness Regina had carved out for herself in this world. But Regina couldn’t hide forever. She wouldn’t let herself. Not anymore.

So Regina went to work four days after Neal’s arrest.Her family kept a close eye on her. Emma hovered the most, followed in close second by Henry and then to no-ones surprise, Graham. Miguel came to the shop every day, sitting in his usual spot pretending to read, but really just watching Regina with concern.Outside of the unusual amount of hovering, things were fine. Until, about two weeks after Neal’s arrest and the day before his first hearing when a familiar face stepped into the shop. Luckily, the shop was mostly empty at this time of day so there weren’t a lot of people around to Graham's roar of rage. 

"Get out! Right now!" Graham bellowed steeping around the counter and taking a threatening step towards Cora. She stood near the entrance, sheepishly clinging to her designer bag and taking off her sunglasses. 

"I've only come for a cup of coffee and a pastry. I don't understand how that's a crime." She responded weakly. The response only seemed to piss Emma and Graham off more. They glared both of them stepping forward, their fists clenched. 

"You know damn well we don't serve your kind here. Narcissistic, abusive assholes won't be served here. I guess we need to put a sign outside. Until then, please know you're not welcome here. Now or ever. Get out!" Graham shouted. The customers were becoming visibly concerned. A few starting to pack up their things and leave. The exact opposite of what Regina needed right now. So against her better judgement, Regina sighed and went behind the counter. Quickly, she brewed some basic coffee and grabbed a croissant. Then brought it back to her mother. 

She held it out to her. "Here. On the house. Now leave please."

"Regina please...Can we just speak for a few moments? I don't want to disturb you or make you upset. I just—we haven't spoken in years. I just wanted to see how you were doing." Her expression was pitiful. It made Regina sick. _(You know what—let's get this over with. If she wants to talk, we can talk. Then I'm done. )_

"There's a reason we haven't spoken mother. But we're not going to get into that in my place of business. If you want to talk let's talk." Regina stalked forward with the coffee and pastry in hand. She took Cora by the arm in a grip that surely hurt and dragged her outside and around the corner. Away from prying eyes. Cora struggled to keep up, but Regina couldn't care less at the moment. She wanted to get this over with. For years, Regina had thought of the day she'd be hearing from her mother again. For a long time her emotions cycled between excitement, dread, fear and numbness. But one thing remained certain. Regina always imagined that the encounter would end in some horrible confrontation. That the years of hatred and fear would culminate—no matter how Regina thought she felt about her mother and her actions— to a moment that would surely end less than favorably for her mother. But the desire to mutilate her mother wasn't present right now. Regina just wanted her gone  more than she wanted to hurt it. 

_(That's progress.)_

"What do you want?" Regina asked, folding her arms over her chest as she handed off the food and coffee. 

Cora cleared her throat.  "I just...I wanted to see how you were doing. I didn't mean for it to be under such awkward circumstances." 

"Awkward? You think this is awkward? No—awkward is running into each other in a grocery store or a restaurant! This is much much worse than that. You're defending the man who killed my fiancee, nearly killed me and abused the kid who I care for. A lot. Awkward is a severely inappropriate word for this situation mother!" Regina snapped. 

"You're right Regina. I apologize. I didn't know of the things he'd done until last night. I knew he was into some illegal activity but I didn't know he was connected to you until I saw you last night." Cora pled. Sadness filled her eyes but it didn't move Regina. It only made her more angry. 

"And you're saying you wouldn't have taken the job even if you knew he was connected to me?" She asked. 

Cora looked affronted. "Of course not. I love you Regina—even if I didn't have the best way of showing it." 

Regina laughed a bitter laugh. "Giving me a black eye for not washing the dishes constitutes love? I was unaware I guess."

Cora took a step forward. Regina flinched back. "Regina please. I know I've made mistakes. I know I've treated you horribly and I can't express to you just how much I wish I could take it back."

"Be that as it may mother, your desire to take back your actions doesn't change what you did or how you treated me. I have lived this long without your interference or presence in my life. I don't need you now—or ever as a matter of fact. And I don't _want_ you in my life. So please, leave once the case is over. And don't try to contact me again." With that, Regina wrapped her arms around herself and began to walk back to the shop. Her mother called back to her but she just kept walking. 

Cora's apology was something Regina had craved for years. It was remarkable how time had changed her. Once upon a time, she would have fallen at her mother's feet the second the words 'I love you' came from her lips.  But not did Regina realize she didn't need her mother and certainly didn't want her. She also realized she had changed for the better. Grew stronger in herself and found love that didn't have to hurt. Even if Cora was changed now, her presence in Regina's life would add nothing but unnecessary stress. So, as Regina stepped through the shop doors, she made a pact with herself. 

_(Even if she lingers in town for the rest of her life, I don't go crawling back to her like I once did. My #1 priority is myself and my family....and that doesn't include her.)_

Emma and Graham were waiting for her near the door. Henry and David were taking orders and making coffee but she could see the concern in their eyes as they glanced towards her. Before anyone could speak, Regina gave a soft smile. 

"Everything's good. I'm good. Let's just get back to work." As she stepped inside, Regina pressed a kiss to Emma temple and hugged Graham. Then, as she slid back behind the counter to take the order of the next customer, let out a deep breath she'd been holding since the day she turned eighteen. 

Never had a breath felt so good. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The response to the last few chapters has been so amazing thank you so much! Every comment makes me smile so wide. It means so much. Thank you.


	22. No Place Like Home.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Regina and Emma take a step forward in their relationship and Henry gets some mail.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope everyone likes this one! I really can't believe how popular this story has gotten I'm so happy. Thank you so much. Only two more chapters, then an epilogue!

Emma made a point to do everything in her power to keep stress away from her family after Neal's arrest. Cora didn’t show up at the shop again—most likely because the night she came to visit, Regina and Emma sent the USB to the Sheriff’s Department. (With a serious amount of ingenuity and focus, they managed to keep the exchange anonymous.) She was most likely scrambling to find a way to make Neal look less guilty because there was no way in hell he was making it out of this unscathed. So, with the two biggest sources of stress out of the way for now Emma began to plot. It started with a call to Ruby.

“You’re joking. You have to be!” The brunette exclaimed, leaning forward and almost bending over the little cafe table they sat at. It was brunch time, and for the first time in a while Emma called Ruby to spend some time together. They saw each other now and then these days—with Emma finally settling into her new life, Ruby didn’t feel the need to hover. Not to mention the fact that David was with her almost every hour of every day and Ruth stopped by the shop once a week at the least—bug when they did see each other it was rare for them to have any time alone. This was treat. 

Emma chuckled and rolled her eyes at Ruby’s antics. “I’m not joking Rubes. I’m serious. Very serious. I didn’t realize before just how unsafe that place was. Never thought in a million years something like that could happen— but it did and no-one’s been back since. Sooo why not find a new place. Somewhere just for our little family. You know?”

Ruby’s expression melted from incredulous to adoration in a second. “You’re willing to do that for her?” She cooed. 

“Of course I am. It’s not like it would be a disservice. Even with Dug in the picture, it’d be much easier and more satisfying in the long run for us to live together. I think we’ve both been hovering on the edge of talking about this anyway. But with all that’s going on it’s been pushed to the back burner. It’s past time I think.”

“And what if she says no?”

“Then I’ll move in myself. If I have to find another job to pay for what I can only imagine will be a mind boggling rent I will. But I'm sure I’ll figure it out.”

Ruby reached her hand out to hold Emma’s. Her eyes were warm and sincere, as they always seemed to be. “You won’t be alone in figuring it out Emma. You know Dorothy and I have plenty of money to spare. And I have yet to get you a proper birthday present. After everything, I think that’s the least I can do.”

"You and I both know that I’m the least deserving person of your generosity.” Ruby made a face. A face that just screamed _‘Stop-talking-you-lying-liar-who-lies’_ so Emma held up her hands in surrender. “But—If you really feel like you have to I’ll just spend the rest of my life paying you back. That’s fine with me.” 

“Pay me back with lots of good memories. By living a good happy, life full of love. Like you deserve Em.” Ruby squeezed her hand. Her eye misted just a bit. Emma smirked at her and squeezed back. 

“Fine.” 

 

—————

 

Ruby and Dorothy arranged for Emma, Regina and Henry to take a few tours of houses in the area within a month. Emma lured the pair out with the promise of Tiana’s Place afterwards, strategically leaving out the part of the day where they’d hopefully be finding a home. Not a house—because realistically, once they filled the place with their love and family, there was no way it would just stay a house. The first house was the farthest, a full forty-five minutes away from the shop. It was a split level home with a long driveway. The exterior was light beige with several shades of brown rocks. It was nice, but the second they started up the driveway Emma knew this one wasn't the one. 

Regina took her hand as they began to walk. Leaning close to whisper in her ear. “You know, you never did tell me what we’re doing here? What possessed you to suddenly go house shopping?”

“Uh—I don’t know—maybe the fact that your apartment was broken into and realistically we can’t keep existing in between two apartments for the rest of eternity. Which is how long I plan on staying with you by the way. I thought maybe…we could find a place for us today. For our future. If you want.” Suddenly, despite all the confidence she’d been feeling what felt like forever ago, Emma felt nervous. Her heart pounded harder as Regina’s silence lingered. So much so that Dug leaned up and pressed his nose to her palm to ground her. 

But her worry and fear was unnecessary. Before she could register it, Regina pulled her into a deep kiss. The brunette’s hands came behind Emma’s neck and pulled her as close as possible. They stayed locked in the embrace for longer than was most likely appropriate. Until they couldn’t ignore the lack of oxygen and they pulled apart. Regina’s smile was brighter and wider than Emma had had the privilege of seeing in so long.

“I love you.” Regina confessed. Emma’s eyes widened but when her lover didn’t take her words back. Didn’t show a sign of regret. Emma didn't hesitate to say it back. (She had been feeling the words bubbling up in her sternum for ages now. She just hadn’t had the confidence to confess it.) 

“I love you too. So…is that a yes?” She questioned. Regina threw her head back to laugh, and pulled her soulmate into another lip locked embrace for a few moments. When they pulled away again, she smiled against Emma’s lips.

“Of course you beautiful idiot. I’d love nothing more than to live my life with you in my space every day. I’m positive Henry will be ecstatic.” 

“I’m happy to hear that.” Emma confessed with a shy smile. They moved to kiss again, until someone cleared their voice right beside them.

It was the realtor. A tight faced blonde woman with red lips and her hair pulled back into a slick bun. Her pantsuit was sharp. But her smile was nice and her honey brown eyes inviting. “I didn't mean to interrupt it’s just we have many other houses to see today. Your brother seems to have already gone inside and scoped the place out.”

Regina and Emma laughed then ,hand in hand, walked up the path to the house.

 

 

————

 

It didn’t take long to find a house they both wanted. Both Regina and Emma had an idea of what they wanted and when it crossed their paths they didn’t hesitate to lock it in. Within a week, the papers were signed and the movers were taking Regina and Emma’s possessions to the new house. It was stunning. A modern, midcentury house that mostly black on the exterior witha wooden door. It was sleek and modern but still inviting. Perfect.The minute things were set in stone, Emma made sure to have a team of the most expensive and experienced security company set up an extensive security system. Regina didn’t protest in the slightest. She understood completely. (Though she’d never admit it, even at Ruth’s where it was relatively safe, she woke in the middle of the night in a cold sweat. Fear coursing through her veins as her eyes searched the guest room for signs of an intruder.)

Moving Day was upon them before they could blink. And before long, the apartment Regina had lived in for almost four years was empty. The apartment above the shop wasn’t as bare, seeing as David planned to live there with Mary Margaret. Emma went ahead with Graham to direct the movers for the furniture and check on the last steps for the security system, while Regina and Henry stayed behind at Regina’s old apartment, Vincent in a carrier at their feet, picking up the last of the mail. Once that was done, they headed to the house.

(Though Regina couldn’t help but notice how subdued Henry seemed afterwards. There had been a piece of mail addressed to him, but Regina hadn’t pried. If it was anything of importance he’d let her know. He was damn near 18 years old now. She didn’t have to hover.)

By nightfall, the furniture was set up—new and old—and the rooms mostly set up outside of little personal touches. With all of their belongings there, it truly felt like home. Vincent and Dug seemed to agree. They wandered around their new home and after deeming the place suitable, they cuddled up on the couch. Henry left to hide in his room and call Miguel shortly after.Regina and Emma turned to each other—lust and anticipation sparkling in their eyes—at the same time.

“First person to the room gets to wear the dildo.” Emma challenged— _(Knowing damn well she would always win)._ Regina only nodded a tiny bit before the blonde was off like a rocket. Regina followed close behind, her laughter echoing through the wide halls of their new home.

Their new bedroom was situated far away from Henry’s. It was the largest luckily. And it was a rush to know they could make as much noise as they wanted to with Henry so occupied. Before, they’d had to wait  for the days when Henry was out with Miguel or at school. Having to settle for quickies during lunch breaks and much too quiet sessions in the early hours of the morning.

This was the first time since Regina’s birthday that they got the chance to be together without a rush. To make love.And they didn’t waste a second. Emma reached the room first—of course—so she was already inside, bare and adjusting the harness around her hips. Regina would have laughed at the sight, if she hadn’t seen the toy Emma was fastening. It was her second favorite to the glass one. (Despite how much Regina craved the glass one, they both knew it’d be a mistake to try that when she had work the next day. And no matter how far away Henry’s room was, nothing could keep the noises Regina made with that thing away from him.) 

It was long, curved and in a deep purple shade. All around it was pretty simple, a few ridges but nothing fancy. Paired with Emma’s skills though, it hit all the spots that left Regina out of commission for hours. Usually she could only make it through one session before needing a long break. She couldn't wait. Regina stripped quickly, relishing the emerald eyes that never once left her tan form.They settled into a position quickly, their minds on the same wavelength. Emma leaned up against the headboard, holding toy as Regina slid onto her lap. She wasted no time reaching into her lover's warmth, moaning when she found her soaking wet. 

“You sure love? This position got really intense for you last time.” Emma questioned. Her hands running up and down Regina's side, sending waves of comfort through the brunette. 

“I’m positive.” She affirmed. 

Slowly, Emma filled Regina. The brunette let out a satisfied moan as the toy slid further and further inside. When Regina was as full as she could get, her hips moved on instinct. Emma gripped them, guiding them into a a deep and slow rhythm. Her own hips thrusting in time to please her lover. Regina leaned back, her palms coming to rest on Emma’s legs as she moved. She bit her lip to keep quiet. It barely worked.

At the sight of her bruises lips, mouth watering breasts, and her lean body moving in a languid dance over the length, Emma couldn’t help but let out a loud moan. Before long, she was on the edge, but she didn’t want to go alone. So she pulled Regina close, maneuvering until there was no space between them. She gripped her soulmate’s waist and adjusted so Emma was the one in control. She was the one who controlled the speed and depth. She slammed into Regina fast and hard, earning a loud debauched moan for troubles as she pressed against her g-spot. Emma pounded into Regina, relishing the slick sounds of their fucking. Though it wasn’t really fucking this time. Even if Emma was giving Regina every inch of her and loving the nearly pornographic sounds that came from her lover, the air was charged with something other than just lust. Love. 

Regina clung to Emma’s shoulders. Gripping her tight as she fucked herself down onto the length. The rhythm slowed for a few seconds, long enough for Regina to pull Emma up for a kiss and for Emma to reach down to rub Regina’s slick clit. They fell apart at the same time, smothering their moans on each others lips. Then smothering surprised gasps on each other’s skin as another orgasm rolled through them right after the first, twice as intense. When the last of the pulses of pleasure came and went, they collapsed back on the bed. Cuddling up to each other for the first time in a bed that was all their own.

 

 

———

 

The first week in the house was an adjustment to say the least. It wasn’t like the trio weren’t used to being together, it was just that the dynamic had shifted. Their lives were intertwined now and there was no denying that. Emma was adjusting to having to play the roll of both friend and ‘caretaker’ of Henry, even though that wasn’t so much of a hassle as it was an adjustment. Regina had to remember how to live with another person again. And not just a friend or a roommate but her partner. Her lover. Sharing a bed occasionally was much different than sharing a bed every night.And Henry…well Henry was all over the place. He was wracked with anxiety every hour of every day for a reason Regina nor Emma could decipher. He was losing sleep. And for a while, Regina thought she’d have to pull it out of him by force, until one night whilst eating some Chinese leftovers in the living room and watching the news, a story popped up. 

The reporter spoke in a serious tone as she relayed the news of the hour. “Disgraced former Sheriff Michael Darling has been found dead in his home as of last night. He left no note but his will had been adjusted a week prior—suggesting he’d planned to take his own life. Police are still investigating whether or not this is a suicide or some elaborate murder. Just recently, both of his brothers had been caught on camera dealing drugs through an undercover operation. The middle brother ,Neal, has also been arrested on numerous charges, beginning with but not ending with domestic battery, trespassing, and murder. John Darling is still in the wind. More on that at 11.”

“Holy shit…he actually did it.” Henry murmured under his breath. Regina turned to look at him. Confusion and concern in her dark eyes.

“What do you mean he actually did it? Do you know anything about this?” She asked. Her tone wasn’t harsh, but it wasn’t hard to see that she was worried. Emma too turned and looked over the at the teen. His eye were wide and vacant. But when Regina called his name three times in a row with no visible response he seemed to comeback to himself.

He let out a hard sigh. “I got mail last week…It was from him. My uncle. He…I’ll just bring it to you to read. He said he was gonna do this today. I didn’t believe him. Or at least I didn’t want to. But…” He stood abruptly and escaped to his room, only to come back seconds later with an opened envelope in his hand. 

He plopped back down on the couch beside Regina and handed it over. She opened it, Emma leaning over her shoulder to get a look. 

It said, in disturbingly neat handwriting:

_Henry, I know you don’t know me. I barely know me anymore. But I need you to know how sorry I am for all the trouble I’ve caused you. I haven’t made the best decisions in my life and only recently have I begun to face the fact that those decisions didn’t just affect me. They affect you too. That’s why I’m writing this. To make amends in a way._

_Disclosed in this envelope is a check. (Clean money—I swear.) It’s for college. I want you to turn out better than we did kid. I never really knew you and you never really knew me but I thought about you a-lot. Wondered just how bad Neal was treating you. He was always a shit-head and I’ve always been too much of a pussy to stop him. But I want to do right by you some way. I hope this helps._

_A week from the day you receive this, I’ll be dead. If you’re wondering why  it’s pretty simple: I don’t want to die in prison. And I certainly don’t want to die known as the shitty sheriff who bailed out his brother._

_So, I set a few things in motion that can only happen once I’m dead. It’s better this way. Anyway, You’ll be getting a few more checks over the next couple of months. All for you to start a life that’s better than what we set you up with. I sent a few documents to the sheriff’s office, incriminating both your dad and John. You won’t be hearing from them any time soon._

_I hope you have a good life kid. I’m sorry I couldn’t have taken you out of your dad’s clutches. That coffee lady seems nice. I hope she treats you well._

_~ ~~Uncle~~ Mike._

 

**_(Sidebar: I took out life insurance on your dad a few years back during a rough patch. I thought about killing him a couple times and taking the money. But I’ll be gone now. So, you say the word to the right person and it’s yours. Take care.)_ **

 The room was silent. The only sound being the heavy breathing of Dug. Even Vincent had cued into the fact that this moment was serious. And unexpected to say the least. No-one knew what to say. For the longest time they all sat, staring at Michael Darling’s legacy and pondering. Until Emma couldn’t stand the silence anymore and simply exclaimed.

“Well shit.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I tried to put a few pictures of the house I imagined Regina and Emma bought. I've never done this before so I hope I did it right. Also, as this story is coming to an end, I'm wondering if anyone is still interested in a sequel in my first work. I have so many ideas but I don't know which ones to focus on first. It would help me prioritize if I knew anyone wanted to see that storyline extended now. So, if you're interested in a sequel let me know. Thanks for reading!


	23. The Trial: Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The trial begins

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is a little short I feel like, but as things begin to wrap up we're gonna be delving into some heavy stuff for this trial. I didn't want to stuff this one too much. I hope you enjoy!

Life was as good as it could be for a while. After Michael Darling’s revelation, things were at a bit of a standstill. Just as he said, a check for $100,000 came in the mail a few days after the letter arrived. Regina found it first, as at the time Henry was at Miguel’s, but she didn’t touch it outside of bringing it to Henry’s bed. When he came home, he stared at it for half an hour before asking to go to the bank. It took much time and much reflection, but after many hours sitting up in his new bed, staring at the ceiling—or sitting on the back porch with Regina, looking up at the night sky and thinking— for Henry to come to the understanding that this was meant to be.

Even if the money came on the heels of Michael Darling’s untimely death and his father’s arrest, Henry chose to see the money as a blessing sooner rather than later.

 

———-

August called out of the blue on a Thursday afternoon. Regina had to step away from the cash register to take the call, but when she answered parts of her wished she hadn’t. “ _The trial starts next week. I hacked into one of the defense lawyer’s laptops. They are looking for a plea-deal, but the D.A doesn’t look to be offering. As a warning though, keep on the lookout for a subpoena next week. All three of you._ ” He said.

Regina could only get out a strangled “Ok.” Before hanging the phone up.

Emma entered the backroom quietly shorty after,Dug at her side. She was quiet, obviously sensing the tension in the room. “That was August wasn’t it?” She asked Regina nodded in response. “Let me guess—we’re gonna be up on the witness stand, aren’t we?” Regina nodded again. A small tear slipped from down her cheek. Emma could tell her lover was not only afraid for herself—as she knew the video of the accident would be played during the trial—but also for Henry. He was finally moving on. Finally thriving outside of his father’s abuse. Even with the minor setback that was Michael Darling’s letter and the emotions that came with that. He was doing good.

But he would be set back if he had to see his father again.

Emma pulled her into a tight hug. She pressed a kiss to the side of Regina’s head before squeezing her. “We’re gonna be alright. We’ve come this far and we’re almost at the end of the line. We can do this.”

 

————

 

Emma was called to the stand first of course.

Every day after work for a week, Regina, Emma, and Henry met with the D.A—a serpentine looking blonde woman, with sharp cheekbones, ice blue eyes and a collection of very nice suits—Maleficent Drake. She was tough, and harsh at times but it was clear that under that hard exterior that she cared a lot about her work. She didn’t hold back in drilling Emma about the incident outside of the shop. With every word Emma said, Maleficent took extensive notes. With every fact she found, she did extensive research and checking before even considering adding it into the case.Within three days, she found everything she needed from Emma and helped her practice her responses. Emma was good at keeping a strong poker face most times, but when it came to Neal she had a bit of an explosive temper. (She also had a bit of a habit of filling her airtight testimony with expletives and barely hidden insults towards Neal before falling headfirst into a rant. Her anger towards the man would build and build until it came out in the form of a long winded insult.) 

“Damnit Emma!” Maleficent snapped, slapping her hand down on the witness stand to stop Emma’s tirade of offensive language against Neal. She glared at the other blonde. “This is the third time I’ve had to explain this to you in the past hour! You cannot—and when I say cannot I mean _cannot—_ launch into an explicative filled rant against the defendant on the stand! No matter what I say or what the defense says you will be escorted out of the courtroom and held in contempt!”

“I know this Mal. I do. But what else do you expect me to do?”

“Act like an adult for fuck’s sake! You are jeopardizing this case by acting like a child. And I’m going easy, mind you! The actual defense will be ten times worse than me! You need to keep your decorum!” 

“But—“

“She’s right Emma.” Regina interrupted. She'd been pacing since the faux cross-examination began. She ceased and spun around to look at Emma where she sat on the stand. Dug gave a regretful whine as she glared. “It is useless—acting like this. We need to stay focused on the objective. Venting our frustrations about Neal and exposing all his dirty secrets is not the reason we’re here. We're here to present a united front and help Mal put him in prison.”

Emma sighed and crossed her arms over her chest like a child. She knew intellectually that both Regina and Mal were right. That her attitude and language was ridiculous and childish and stupid but she couldn’t think of anything else to do. Emma felt ridiculously out of her depth. Just thinking about being so close to Neal, talking about what he'd done to her family and what she’d done to him in return and then _not_ being able to hurt him when he no doubt sent her a smile made her nauseas. 

Emma was afraid. And Regina seemed to sense that. She sighed. “Take a break Emma, let’s go over my testimony Mal. We need to get all of this airtight.” 

Maleficent let out a sigh of relief before ushering Emma and Dug off the stand. They moved to sit next to Henry. As Regina began to practice her testimony, Henry slid closer to Emma.

“I get it you know.” He whispered. “The urge to just say ‘fuck you’ to him whenever you see his smarmy face. But it’ll just make things worse. We’ve gotta be strong long enough to let the judge see just how guilty he is. I want to hit him just as bad as you do but look on the bright side—at least you got the chance to hit him a few times. I may never get the chance and I'm pretty pissed about that.” They both chuckled.

Shamefully enough, Emma fondly reminisced on the feel of Neal’s bones crunching under her fists. (As time went on and Archie helped her link together the nightmares she experienced with actual moments missed in her flashbacks, Emma remembered the sensations she’d experienced during the fight outside the shop. Could vividly recall the feeling of Neal’s bones under knuckles. The feel of his warm blood on her hands.) She used the memory as fuel for her testimony. With a sigh she slumped against the chair of the courtroom.

“I’m sorry kid. I've been acting like a dumbass.” Emma said. Shame filled her.  

Henry laughed. “You have—but I forgive you. It’s hard—I get that. And it won't be getting any easier. You were trying to cope by taking your anger and frustration out through words. You just chose the wrong time.”

Emma laughed as well. “Where’d you get that from?”

“Dr. Hopper. I thought about doing the exact same thing you did—but he helped me see that that would be counterproductive.” He cautiously leaned over to take Emma’s hand. “Just follow Mal’s lead. And maybe we can trash-talk Neal at dinner after you testify.

Emma smiled at the boy—soon to be young man—and squeezed his hand. "Sure enough kid.”

 

 

————

 

“Miss Nolan, can you tell us what led to you assaulting my client outside of Miss Mills’ business on the night of December 25th and causing him severe injury?” Cora asked. Emma had successfully gone through her testimony without a problem. It had taken all her energy not to trash-talk Neal, but the proud smile from Regina and thumbs up from Henry made it worth it. Then Cora had been given the green light to cross-examine. 

Maleficent rolled her eyes and stood. “Objection!” She called. The judge moved to scold Cora, but the woman held up her hand in acknowledgement.

“I apologize. Miss Nolan, can you tell us the events that led up to the incident on December 25th?”

Emma cleared her throat and adjusted her blazer. It was a nice navy blue (Mal said the color made her look more trustworthy) withmatching trousers and a nice white blouse. Her dog-tags were wrapped around her neck. Emma rubbed a thumb against them as she spoke.“Yes. Uh, we were having a small dinner at my apartment—which is located just above the Forbidden Fruit—”

“Who is we?” Cora interrupted.

“Miss Mills, myself, Mr. Rivera and Henry—the defendant’s son. We were all upstairs helping Regina cook, when Henry and Miguel went outside the watch the sunset. After a little while I heard a car pull up, but I didn't think much of it until I heard yelling. Then I told Regina, we raced outside and found the defendant yelling at his son. Regina tried to stop him, he hit her and I advanced...After that I don't recall much until the defendant was on the ground." 

“Is it really uncommon for parents—especially those of teenagers—to raise their voices at their children?” Cora questioned.

“No not particularly—but I do think it’s uncommon and a little the scary when the parent in question is making his son tremble and cower. Especially considering how Henry had already come to work with bruises before.”

“Objection your honor—the witness is speculating.” Cora followed up.

Emma rolled her eyes. “No I’m not. I’ve been at the apartmentand therefore at the shop for months now. I saw firsthand the damage the defendant did to his son. That combined with the nasty way he was yelling at him didn't leave much room for interpretation.” Emma snapped.

“Do you have proof of this alleged damage? And if so, how can you be certain my client was the one who doled it out?” Cora asked.

“I’m very familiar with hand print bruises ma’am.”

“You would be wouldn’t you?” Cora countered. Emma glared.

“What is that supposed to mean?”

"It means—you have a history of violence yourself don’t you? You spent ten years in the United States Army didn’t you?” 

“I did.” 

“And in your last year of service, wasn’t there an incident in which you and number of other operatives went into a calm and non combative zone and were ‘attacked'?  An attack which—by the way— left only _you_ , your childhood friend and your other close friend alive? Not the mention only you with defensive wounds—

At Cora’s words, a fire of pure hatred ran through Emma. Her next words were a growl. “You aren’t suggesting I—”

“I’m not suggesting anything Miss Nolan I—”

“Objection you honor! Councilor Mills is not only attempting to put my witness on trial here by misrepresenting a traumatic experience and twisting it to her own agenda in an attempt to deflect from her imploding case, but now she's speculating and badgering my client!” Maleficent yelled. Emma could see through the haze of anger that Regina flinched at the loud sound.

Henry looked up at her with imploring eyes. Emma could sense their fear and apprehension from here. Dug pressed his cold nose into her hand with a whimper. He too looked at her with warm, pleading eyes. Emma took a deep breath.

The gavel  came down hard. “Sustained. Councilor—take a break. Go sit down and think about the definition of decorum and law before you come before me spewing that bullshit again.” Judge Reul Ghorm spat. Cora sheepishly returned to her seat. “Drake you’re up.” 

“Thank you your honor.” Maleficent said with a gracious tip of head before approaching the witness stand. “Miss Nolan, is it true that you suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Order related to the incident Councilor Mills misrepresented a moment ago?”

Emma swallowed. “Yes. That’s why this little guy is here—he's not just eye candy. He’s highly trained eye candy, meant to help me keep calm and avoid triggering to the point of flashback.”

The courtroom laughed.

“I see. So, is it safe to say Miss Nolan that the reason you attacked the defendant was because you were triggered by his violent against those you cared for?”

Emma swallowed. “Yes. I don’t know exactly what I did to him. I had a flashback as I came at him and to this day I can’t really remember exactly what happened after I lunged but I know enough about myselfand my trauma to know that seeing him abuse someone who I perceived to be smaller than him—not to mention my soulmate—affected me deeply.”

“That brings me to our first bit of evidence for the day. Your honor, I present to you Exhibit A. The documented bruising Miss Mills—Miss Nolan's soulmate and Mr. Henry’s caregiver—sustained.” 

A screen across from Emma showed Regina's face. Her eyes teary and a bruise forming on her cheek.. It was hard to look at. 

“I would also like to present Exhibit B, which is video evidence and picture evidence provided by an anonymous source that depicts the defendants treatment of his son as Miss Nolan hinted.”One of the security videos shown on the screen, it depicted Neal smacking poor Henry clear across the face.

The courtroom gasped. Emma heard Cora’s defeated “shit.” It filled her with joy. She glanced around at the court, and caught familiar eyes sitting next to a familiar face in the very back of the courtroom. Emma hid a smile.

 

 

———

 

Henry was up next a few days after Emma, despite Regina's attempts at complaining.

  
“It's immoral to make him face the man who abused him for years! Don’t they have enough evidence to support the case without forcing Henry up there?!” Regina cried. They were having a quiet lunch at the house. Emma had taken Dug out for a walk and Henry was cleaning the dishes a few feet away.

“I’ll be fine.” Henry stated in a calm voice. It shocked Regina. She had been expecting him to fall apart at the thought of facing his father again, but—as he turned to look them—she could see that he was calmer than even Regina was. “I want to do this. I need to tell the truth and nothing but the truth to a bunch of people who need to hear all he’s done. It will be my last step in closure.” He said. 

It took a moment or two for Regina to truly process his words. Outside of the fear and apprehension the brunette felt at letting Henry near Neal, she also couldn't' help but feel immensely proud. 

“Alright kid.” Regina allowed. “I trust you know yourself well enough to know your limits. If anything changes, don’t hesitate to tell us.” 

“Got it. I promise.”

 

 

—————

Henry walked into the courtroom, his head held high, Miguel right behind him as well as every employee of the Forbidden Fruit. They sat as close as they could to give the kid support.

Maleficent luckily was allowed to question Henry first. She greeted him with a small smile.

“Good morning Henry, I know this is a challenge beyond belief. I thank you for being willing to come up on the witness stand today.”

“Good morning councilor. It’s no problem I guess. I think it's past time people heard the truth. I was afraid to tell it before, but—not anymore.”

“I’mhappy to hear that. I’ll try to make this as quick as I can. Let’s start with the hard questions to get them out of the way. How long has your father been abusing you?”

“Since my mom died I guess…Which means my entire life. She died giving birth to me so…yeah.”

“I’m sorry to hear that. I must ask unfortunately —was your father always been such a violent man. Or did the abuse grow worse during certain periods of time?” 

“It was worse when he drank. In the beginning—I don’t remember him drinking too often so I got off easy, but when I was around 11, he started getting into booze really heavy. Which lead to him hitting me more and more.”

They went back and forth like that for half an hour. The courtroom was deadly silent. All eyes on Henry as he laid bare the truth of his childhood and his life under Neal’s thumb. It was nauseating, hearing Neal’s treatment of Henry. Btu as each Jury member gasped and as the judge’s eyes grew more and more tear filled, Regina and Emma squeezed each other's hands.

Things were actually going alright.

When Maleficent was done questioning she sat back down at her seat. The judge turned to Cora. 

“Would you like to question this witness Councilor?" She asked

“No…No I’m good. Let's just move on to the next witness."  Cora responded in a defeated tone. She slumped back agains her chair and pinched her nose in a way that was so startlingly Regina. 

"This session in adjourned for the day. We'll be picking back up tomorrow afternoon at 2 p.m. Do not be late." The judge said, before the courtroom emptied. Soon, leaving only Henry, Regina, Emma and the rest of their little family. 

They only waited a few second before surrounding the teenager and singing his praises. Pride filled them all as they witnessed his healing and growth. It was a beautiful sight. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to all who commented last week! The comments were so super sweet and helpful and inspiring thank you so much. This whole experience with starting to post on here has been so amazing I can't express enough how grateful I am. I never thought one of my works would get this much love and attention. Thank you all so much! Only one more chapter left then the epilogue!


	24. The Trial: Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The trial continues and Henry makes a decision.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One more chapter to go until this story is officially over! I feel like this started yesterday, it's crazy how time flies.

A number of other witnesses came to the stand after Emma and Henry, all of which were called upon by the defense. From the perspective of everyone but them, it seemed that they were attempting to waste the court’s time in some misguided attempt at _making_ Mal give them a plea deal. But they should have known better. Mal was known for her hard-ass attitude and merciless pursuit for justice. The last thing she was going to do was let Neal off easy.It took a change in plea in the middle of court (from not guilty to not guilty by reason of insanity. Typical. And stupid. It didn't work for the other cases and it sure as hell wouldn't work in this one. But they were adamant.) and random witness number three (a sandwich shop owner who allegedly saw Neal enter a shop across the street from his the night of the car accident) for the judge to get fed up. The gavel came down with a loud smack, startling both Emma and Regina from their daydreaming. 

“Councillor.” The judge snapped, glaring at Cora. “I’ve had it up to here with you wasting my time and that of my court. You are done for the moment. Drake, do you have any witnesses to present?” 

Regina’s heart began to race. She knew, just as well as she suspected both Cora and Emma knew, just who the witness was going to be today. Regina and Mal had tried to find a way around it through various conversations, even considering brining Henry up once again—but in the end the only viable solution was to bring Regina up to the witness stand.

They had the case in the bag most likely, but with sudden change in plea and Cora's cunning work—the insanity defense had the _smallest_ chance of working. In this situation though, there as no room for even one juror to find sympathy for Neal. He _had_ to be eradicated. Wiped off the face of the earth and stuck in a cage for the rest of his miserable life.

Mal shot an apologetic look back to Regina and stood. She cleared her throat. "Yes your honor, I do. Her name is Regina Mills—she’s the only surviving victim of the car crash the state believes Mr.Cassidy caused. ” 

A murmur ran through the court. Not much had been known about the crash. It happened four years ago at this point, but most of the members of the little town could remember well the ripple effect the horrific crash had had on the community. For weeks, people had payed their respects to young life that had been lost so mysteriously. Driving by the ditch that was steeped in Daniel and Regina’s blood and dropping off flowers and notes.. Later, once news had come out about her survival, they payed their respects to the promising life was forever affected by the tragedy.

“That sounds reasonable. Come up Miss Mills.” The judge commanded. Emma squeezed Regina’s hand with a firm grip, before the brunette stood. On shaky legs she made her way towards the witness stand. She knew Maleficent wouldn’t go too hard on her. The verbal testimony was enough by itself, but Regina had a sick feeling that Cora would try anything to get her client some sort of leniency. That was her job after all.

\--------

 

Regina gulped as she pressed her palm to the bible. In the crowd of the court, she caught Emma's eye. The blonde gave her a thumbs up just as Maleficent approached the stand.

“Good afternoon Miss Mills. How are you feeling this morning?” Mal asked.

“Scared shitless.” Regina blurted out. The court chuckled but she flushed bright red. Her gaze shot to the judge and relief filled her at the amused expression on her face. “I apologize. I just…It’s hard…having to talk about this. I don’t think it will ever not be hard.”

“I can imagine. Can you tell the court what happened the night of the accident?”

Regina nodded weakly. Then, with a deep breath she began to tell the story. In excruciating detail. It was hard, getting the words out and still keeping her composure. As memories overwhelmed Regina the longer she relayed the story, her breathing got shaky. From Emma's side, Dug gave a short whine. As the story concluded, Regina felt a hand press on her shoulder. She jumped, and met the worried gaze of Judge Ghorm. 

“Are you alright dear?” She asked. 

Regina gulped. “I’m fine I apologize. I just—it’s apart of the PTSD. I dissociate sometimes when I get triggered. I’ve got a tight lid on it I swear—even if it doesn't look like it." She assured both the judge and the court. Her cheeks flamed.

Maleficent took a step forward. She had an opening. “Is this dissociation stemmed from a head injury sustained during the crash—as is stated in the report given by former Sheriff Michael Darling?”

Regina shook her head no. “I…I started dissociating before the accident. My childhood wasn't exactly…healthy—” Regina couldn’t help but cast a look towards her mother, who had crossed her arms over her chest and had the nerve to have tears in her eyes. “—and in an effort to escape some of the less than pleasant experiences I found a way to cope. Dissociation. It's been happening since I was a kid.”

“Did you sustain any lasting head injuries that would have impaired your judgement or sight shortly before the crash?” Mal asked. 

“I had a concussion but my eyesight and memory were—are—fine.”

“So you're saying if you saw something that night—that was coincidentally covered up by the exact man established to be a dirty cop and the brother of the man you accused of this horrific crime— that you believe you were most likely correct?"

“Yes. When something like that happens, you go over it again and again in your head. To this day I have nightmares of his face. So I'd say I know it pretty well by now.” 

“Would you say you could identify this man in a room of people?” Mal asked.

“Certainly.” Regina replied.

Mal signaled for Regina to do so. Instantly, she pointed to Neal, who sat with a self-satisfied smirk on his face. _(I hope his teeth get knocked out in prison.)_

“Thank you Miss Mills. That will be all.”Mal moved back to her seat, and Regina almost moved to get up as well, but the judge stopped her.

“In the interest of fairness and in the interest of due process, I will allow Councillor Mills to proceed with cross-examination. But—step one toe out of line ma’am and this case will be over. I think we all know it's been over since it began but—I am obligated to let you go about the process.” The judge sounded put out and if Regina didn't know any better she could have mistaken her facial expression for something along the lines of annoyed.

Henry snickered beside Miguel. Cora stood sheepishly, fixing her blazer as she made her way over to the stand. Mal sent a glare to her back.

“Thank your honor—my client and I very much appreciate your patience and consideration. I know our plan of action may seem a little unorthodox, but I assure you everything I do here in this courtroom has a purpose.”

 _(Everyone knows that—The only concern is that your purpose is backed by a willingness to be cruel and harmful to get what you want.)_ Regina's mind hissed. 

\------

 

“Miss Mills, is it correct to assume that you would like the court to believe that after a sustaining a major concussion and a host of other injuries —All of which resulted in you having to get an artificial sternum placed into your chest—that you weren’t the slightest bit impaired the night of the crash? And as a result possibly saw the face of a man who was similar in appearance to Mr. Cassidy, but was not him.”

“No—I know I wasn't in the best frame of mind. I know that it would be hard to believe, but with the adrenaline coursing through me and the relief I felt when I thought someone was coming to _help us_  I was hyper alert when Mr. Cassidy approached the car. As long as I live I’ll never forget his face."

“But have you considered the possibility that maybe you’ve been accusing the wrong man for nearly four years? That your injuries impaired your judgement and left you with a bias? That maybe Mr. Cassidy is a victim of having a face similar to the man who ruined your life?” Cora’s eyes screamed apology. Regina could see them but felt nothing but disgust and anger at her mother's audacity. Cora should have stepped away from the case when she realized she was too close to it. That the man she was defending had nearly killed her daughter and beheaded her fiancé. But she hadn’t. So Regina would siphon no sympathy for her.

She cleared her throat. “No—I haven't. Because entertaining that notion would be ridiculous. I know without a shadow of a doubt who was behind the incident. And I know without a shadow of a doubt that that man should rot in prison!”

“Alright. I believe you." Cora held up her hands in surrender." But feel that the court deserves a bit more insight to make their decision. I propose that we allow the jury to see in a way what you saw that night. Help them make their own conclusion.” Her words were strong but hints of a wavering tone slipped in. Cora shot Regina another apologetic look before spinning around to face the judge. “I petition that the court be shown the surveillance video of the crash.”

Maleficent shot up from her seat. “Objection!” She shouted just as Emma and Henry shot up from their chairs.

“You can't do that—it's sick!” Henry yelled.

“You’re trying to make people watch someone's death for fuck’s sake! What’s wrong with you!” Emma roared.

The gavel came down again—harder than it had any time before. The courtroom went silent. Regina trembled in her seat. The judge looked down at Cora, confusion and disgust in her eyes. “Are you sure you want to open this can of worms Councillor? If you open this door I hope you know there is no coming back from it.”

Cora gulped. "I know your honor. But I assure you—the evidence will prove my client's innocence.”

The judge sighed. “Fine. But Miss Mills is dismissed. And she is free to leave the courtroom if she wishes—I know having to see this video will be hard for you. But I cannot restrict evidence. Unfortunately, Councillor Mills has made a valid point." 

Regina shot up from the stand and almost ran out of the courtroom. She wanted to run and hide. She wanted to scream and cry and lash out in the stall of the courthouse bathroom—but Henry was still frozen in his seat. Emma and Miguel were still beside him, fuming but even if they followed her out, Regina knew Henry wouldn’t.

He was curious to his own detriment, unfortunately. But Regina couldn’t exactly blame him. The knowledge of what his father had done had haunted him for years. He hadn’t been allowed to see much of the tape since August found it—but Regina imagined he felt he _needed_ to see it. And whether she liked it or not, he’d find a way to watch it. Whether it be here or at the house after scouring through ever nook and cranny of the house to find it. It was inevitable.

So, with great reluctance, Regina sat beside her son and pulled his hand into hers. She squeezed hard as the tape began.

 

 

————

 

It didn’t take long for Regina's hand to tremble. But even as the last of her armor fell away—as she buried her face in Emma’s shoulder and clutched Henry’shand—Henry couldn’t force his eyes way from the screen. He wanted to—desperately—but something deep inside him said he could not. He _had_ to know. Henry knew his father was guilty. That had already established. But what kept him up at night was exactly _what_ his father had done. He'd known him to be a cruel man, but was the man whose DNA was apart of Henry capable of such inhumane behavior. Had he really walked up to the car—the one he'd slammed into and forced off the road—saw the carnage, the person in need of help and walk away without a word? Despite all Neal had done, it was still hard for Henry to imagine.

So he needed to see. Even if he'd regret it later. (Which he was almost certain he would)

The tape started with a dark road. Clear, and empty save for oncoming headlights. Then a sudden jerk, the truck veered off into the wrong side of the road right into the side of the turning black car. It was tiny compared to the truck and it was nauseating to watch as it flew off the road and plummeted into the ditch. The truck stopped at the edge of the ditch. It's headlights illuminating the carnage of the wreck. Henry could make out Regina’s unconscious form. But beside her, there was a large portion of the screen blurred. It was purposeful. A censor. They were censoring the screen. _(Fuck, was that where Daniel…?)_

“Alright, now move up to the time stamp 12:45.” Cora requested. Whoever was in charge of that did as she asked. Even had the courtesy of muting the video.But it took him a second to figure out the mechanics. For three seconds, blood curdling screams filled the courtroom. Every person in the room flinched. Even Regina, who was half way gone. But when her own screams filled the room, she let out a whimper and buried her face in Emma's shoulder. Her breathing sped up. Dug moved to her side at Emma’s request, resting his had on her lap. She let go of Emma’s hand and moved to pet his head. His tail wagged the tiniest bit.

“As you can see, there is a man walking towards the car. From this angle, Miss Mills might be able to see the man. But his face would be obscured. That would be with perfect vision and not a single injury.” On the screen, a figure Henry knew without a doubt was his father. Bile rose in his throat. But he could see that the jurors were starting to believe the bullshit. They were starting to question whether or not Neal did this. And even though the other cases were open and shut—there was no dispute as to whether or not he trafficked drugs and abused Henry.But the charges combined would only give him at the most fifteen years. If they couldn’t secure the manslaughter and attempted murder charge—he’d only get fifteen years. Henry would be only be thirty three when Neal got out. And there was no doubt in his mind that Neal would want revenge. That he’d find a way to hurt all the people he perceived had hurt him.

_(But there's an out. All I’ve gotta do is find Killian’s number.)_

The video continued, showing ‘the man’ walk towards the car. Regina seemed to reach out to him for help, reaching out for him. But he shook his head and walked away. Coincidentally steering clear of the headlights and avoiding getting his face caught in the camera. _(Shit.)_

"There is no dispute that Miss Mills has suffered a great trauma. But I can't help but question whether or not she was capable of remembering the correct face. Her injuries were extensive. She was in pain and suffering and it clouded her judgement. Someone did this to her, but it was not my client." 

 _“_ Shit!” Emma hissed under her breath. She was thinking the same thing Henry was. He wanted to throw up. He was going to. Henry shot up from his seat and bolted to the bathroom.

He barely made it and by the time he expelled most of his lunch and breakfast he was exhausted. Both mentally and physically. Then the bathroom door opened.

“Henry?” Emma asked. Surprise filled him. He let the stall door open. Emma got the hint and came to stand beside it. “You ok kid?” She asked.

“Not really. I just…I’m worried Emma.” He admitted.

“Me too kid…Me too. But we can only do so much.” She responded.

“But you know that's not exactly true…I did the math. He’s only gonna get twenty years at the max. That sounds like a-lot but…you know him. He’s gonna come back. And I’ve got the option to stop all of this. All I’ve gotta do is say the word.” 

Emma stepped further inside the stall. She sat down beside the teen. Her face solemn. “You’re right. You’ve got the power of life and death at your fingertips right now. And from experience, I can tell you one thing. You're never gonna be the same after this. Either you’ll be thinking about what you should have done for the rest of your life or you’ll be haunted by what you did.”

“What’s it like?” Henry tentatively asked. There was no need for explanation.

“It’s awful. My situation is different than yours, because my choices led the deaths of innocent people. We both know your Dad isn’t innocent. But he’s still a life. He's still your dad. And no matter the circumstances, taking a life is hard. It’ll mar your soul for the rest of your life. Before you make a decision think about whether or not you're prepared to pay the price.”

It took Henry a second or two to muster up the courage to speak. “And what if I am?”

“When today's session lets out, find Killian. He thinks I don’t know he came to watch the trial everyday but he's wrong. He knows a guy who knows a guy—remember…But if you want, I can do it."

Henry gulped. The suggestion sounded tempting. But he knew what he had to do. It was time to show his dad that he was stronger than he'd ever been given credit for.

“No—I need to do it…Thanks Emma. Don't tell Regina..Ok?”

“You know even if I don't tell her—the second it hits the press that he's gone she'll know right?”

“I know...I just need time.”  

"I can give you that kid…You ready to come back inside?” 

After a few deep breaths, Henry stood with Emma’s help. They made their way inside, where the judge was announcing that the session was over for the day. She looked a shade or two paler than she’d been before they left, but Regina was still upright—so it couldn't have been that bad.Henry took one last look at his father. Their eyes locked. An understanding passed between them somehow. Neal’s eyes widened in fear. But Henry gave no reaction as he moved through the crowd to follow the glint of curved metal.

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for reading! The epilogue will be coming as soon as possible. This weekend is super busy for me but I'll do everything in my power to get it out in a timely manner.


	25. My Hand and My Whole Life Too.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Resolution.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It has come to my attention that I might have possibly mentioned Neal being seen in security footage in an earlier chapter. I tried my best to read through them and see if I missed something and made a mistake last chapter but I only found something about corrupted footage so... for now let's just pretend the case was just reopened because of all the Michael stuff lmao

**Epilogue**

Neal was sentenced to a mere ten years in prison for a combination of drug trafficking and child abuse a week and a half after the last witness's testimony. Despite Mal’s valiant efforts, Cora had planted a seed of doubt in the jury. One juror too many had been unsure, so—in the end—the reopening of Regina’s case was only a fruitless attempt at justice. Neal received his comeuppance though. 

Six days into his ten year sentence, Neal Cassidy was found dead in his cell. A power outage had taken out the security cameras in the prison for only six minutes—but that had been enough. Once the lights came on, Neal’s cellmate—a stout and unassuming man named Smee, who'd been transferred not twelve hours earlier—was ‘startled to find a mangled corpse in place of the rambunctious, arrogant asshole that was his cellmate’. That was his story anyway…But those close to the case knew better. They knew why Smee was 'granted freedom' six hours after the incident and why he hadn't even been properly logged into the prison database in the first place.

No-one attended Neal’s funeral. John Darling was apparently living in Europe, but even the news of his brother's death hadn’t been enough to persuade him to come out of hiding. After the burial, Henry came to Neal's grave only once. He walked alone, but both Regina, Emma, and Dug were a few feet away. Standing guard beside Emma's new car. The day was warm but cloudy. It would rain soon. So Henry didn’t linger. He crouched down beside the grave and pulled out a copy of his early acceptance letter to Harvard. He threw it down on the freshly upheaved soil. 

“Already—not a month after your death—I’m doing better than I ever did when you were alive. I still wake up in the middle of the night with a heavy heart, regretting making a choice that wasn’t technically mine to make. But today isn't one of those days. I hope you’re having fun burning in hell.And I hope that in your next life you somehow become a better man that you were in this one. You won’t be hearing from me again. If you can even hear me now.” Henry sighed, wiping the tears from his eyes. He couldn't help himself. The emotions welling within him were hard to contain. At least now he could cry without being ridiculed. “I don’t think you deserve my presence or my energy anymore. So… Goodbye Neal.” He stood slowly, and with one last look down at the headstone that only read the bare minimum. (Neal Cassidy, 1979—2019. That was it. No words speaking about how much he was loved. He much he would be missed. Not even a mention of the fact that he was a father. Because, although he'd been given the chance to be a good person and father, he'd squandered them. Taken them for granted and ruined the lives of so many people.So Henry—as the last remaining relative willing to deal with his affairs—had placed the bare requirement of identification on the shittiest headstone he could find.) Henry mentally closed that chapter of his life. Left behind the broken boy his father created and ran head first into a life that was full of opportunity. 

 

 

————

 

One of the first things Henry with the hefty checks that followed Neal’s death was make a donation to the nearby national park. They graciously accepted, offering him a plaque or something of that nature to commemorate his donation. But Henry didn’t want to bring more attention to himself. So, he only that there be a small garden full of flowers with six plaques in a nice, sunny part of the park. All of them engraved with the names of those he’d never get the chance to meet. Those whose lives left a permanent hole in that of his family: Henry Mills Sr, Lilith Page, Merida Dunbroch, Mulan Fa, Lancelot Washington, and Daniel Colter.

 

————

 

**One Year Later**

 

“He’s fine ‘Gina. Checking your phone every five minutes isn’t going to make him respond faster." Emma chided lightly, as they made their way towards the beach side restaurant the resort offered. This was both Emma and Regina's first vacation. Emma had had vacations of sorts— she counted her times home in between deployments as vacations—but this experience was a first. The same went for Regina. She'd been busting her ass for so many years a true vacation had slipped from her grasp.

 _(Until now—thanks to Henry.)_ Regina’s mind spoke.

Regina sighed, her tone colored with amusement. A tiny smirk danced on her full lips. “I know that—I can't help myself. It feels weird not having him here with us.”

“I know, but it's for the best. He’s enjoying his last summer home with Miguel before they both go off to Boston. Besides—” Emma gripped Regina's waist and pulled her close. She placed a kiss on Regina’s neck, earning a shiver and a small laugh. “We need to practice being responsibility free. Practice actually enjoying ourselves without holding back because we’re busy worrying. We’ve been burdened for so long that we don’t know how to be anything but uptight and overly responsible."

Regina laughed and gently pulled Emma closer. “We won't exactly be responsibility free ya know. We’ve still go to take care of the shop. And Henry is only going to college. He’ll still need money every month and—”

“—he’ll get all of that. But we won’t be overly worried about making too much noise because we'll be alone. And on the nights we stay up too late we can just have Graham take over for the day.”

“That’s not responsible business owning.” Regina laughed, though she could feel herself becoming convinced. 

“But it's responsible life living—we deserve to be irresponsible here and there.” She dragged Regina into the restaurant and as they were seated she snatched her phone. Even going as far as to stick it in Dug’s mouth. His gentle jaws wouldn’t break it, but Regina wouldn't dare risk him getting up and running away at Emma’s command. So she allowed herself to take a breath and enjoy their time together. 

Dinner was nice. The resort was located in Hawaii and the food was courtesy of the local restauranteurs, so it was exquisite. They'd only been there a few days, but that time alone had been enough to spark inspiration in Regina. She was writing down recipes left and right. A few feet away, under a small tent beside what looked like a dance floor, a small group of strings instrumentalists played. The sun set behind them, casting a beautiful image along the crystal blue water. In the middle of the first course, a familiar song began to play. Emma turned to Regina with a wide smile.

“Dance with me?” She questioned. Regina didn't hesitate. Smiling back with an equally bright smile and taking Emma’s hand. It would be difficult with Dug at Emma's hip, but they'd make it work. An instrumental rendition of the song _Can’t Help Falling in Love_ echoed around the beach. Emma pulled Regina as close as she could get her. The brunette rested her head against her soulmate’s shoulder. She sighed in pleasure, relishing in the warm fuzzy feelings that filled her entire body as they swayed to the song. 

"I love you.” Regina whispered, nuzzling her nose up to Emma’s throat.

“I love you too….I want this forever.” Emma quietly confessed.

“You have me forever. You know that right?” Regina responded.

"I know but you deserve to have it made official—if you want…I brought a ring just in case.”

Regina froze then snorted against Emma's chest. She pulled away to look up at her lover. “Great minds think alike I guess.” Emma's eyebrows furrowed.

“What do you mean?”

Regina didn't respond, only reaching into the pocket of her red sundress to pull out a black box. She quirked her eyebrow up at Emma. “I was thinking of asking you when we got back to the room. That’s why I was on my phone—I was messaging the concierge making sure our room was stocked with a whole bunch of romantic shit. But you beat me to the punch—I’ve still got a chance a redemption though.”

Emma’s eyes widened as the box was popped open. The ring was gorgeous. Simple, but delicate in a way Emma only imagined she was. With an oval diamond, surrounded by a small cluster of smaller diamonds. Emma loved it. And when Regina slipped it on her ring finger, she couldn’t help but love it even more.

“Do you like it?” Regina asked shyly.

“It’s perfect.” Emma whispered. On instinct, she began pulling out the ring she'd been holding in her jacket pocket. She hadn’t bothered with a box—fearing it to be too bulky and overbearing—but suddenly she wished she had though to bring one. Doubt scrawled up Emma's spine as she watched Regina stare at it.

All doubts were washed away however when a tear fell down Regina's cheek. Emma slipped the ring on Regina's trembling hand.

“You like it?” She asked quietly.

Regina let out a sound that was cross between a sob and a laugh. “It’s perfect. I love it and you. Thank you.”

“Thank _you_ my love. For loving me and trusting me and opening yourself up to me. It's been the greatest gift.” They came together in a sweet kiss. The crowd around them seemed to lose the last bit of decorum they had mustered up before, and began to cheer around. Regina and Emma pulled away from each other, blushing but beaming.

They married a year later, under the stars on the beach. Dug was the ring-bearer of course. The ceremony was small, decorated with the simple colors of navy blue, dusted rose, and gold. Simple. Intimate. And perfect.

 

 

**_The End_ **

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Regina's Ring](https://www.etsy.com/listing/656691841/vintage-engagement-ring-woman-rose-gold?ref=shop_home_active_54&frs=1)

[Emma's Ring](https://www.etsy.com/listing/584139014/peach-sapphire-engagement-ring-light?ref=shop_home_active_43)

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's finally done! I love this fic so much more than I ever thought I would when I started it. A year ago my anxiety held me back from even considering putting out my fics now I have two completed works under my belt. The power of a good support system man. Anyway, I'm so thankful to everyone who read and commented. Every comment inspired me and calmed my anxiety just a tiny bit. Thank you so much! I hope everyone enjoyed this story. 
> 
> I have no plans to do a sequel for this one but one shots might pop up in the future. I don't know. If you've got any ideas for one shots or even a new fic hit me up. I love hearing other people's perspectives and ideas. 
> 
> I'm going to be taking a break to work on a few other fics--I'm considering writing in different fandoms in addition to this one so keep an eye out--but I'll be back soon if all goes well. Possibly with a tumblr if anyone still uses that and maybe even a sequel to Have Courage idk....ok bye enjoy your week thank you!!!

**Author's Note:**

> I still don't have a beta or anyone to proofread this so if you see any mistakes or discrepancies feel free to let me know. I love feedback so let me know what you think of this chapter and this story in general! Hope you have a good rest of your day!


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